MSG 0079: Where the Hero Fell
by Weltall
Summary: The situation is looking grim, as the war between the Earth Federation and the Zeon rages on. Some could ask who are the heroes in war, but for which side? Are there villians in war?
1. Act 1: Holocaust of War

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Mobile Suit Gundam 0079: Where the Hero Fell…

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Writen By: (Weltall)

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Disclaimer: I do not own _Mobile Suit Gundam _or anything that Tomino created. I do not claim ownership, and this fan fiction is for non profit means, as it's just a hobby. Otherwise, I do claim to own any originally made characters that are not cameos or guest appearances from the _Mobile Suit Gundam_ series.

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January 3rd, UC 0079

Guru 10 Colony, Side 1 Cluster

10:45 A.M.

A sign of adulation. Within such a robust setting of a colossal space colony, masquerading as the perfect environmental clone of Earth's nature features, one would assume first that the setting would be as quiet as possible. If anybody was in the vicinity of the located forest in Guru 10, one could easily get perplexed in a state of annoyance. The harmony of noises from joints grinding, metal clanging, and pumps being loaded, one would think that this was not a normal colony. Actually for the most part, the collection of varying people within the massive cylinder was as "normal" as possible, as their life styles didn't involve anything more than working for their lively benefit.

For the most part. Here, a military group seems bent on completing their goals, no matter how many they manage to annoy in this secluded forest. One could see several soldiers in green uniform working on a big triangle-like cylinder. Across the suspicious looking object was clearly inscribed in bright, crimson letters that read "D A N G A R - G3" [1]. If one didn't know, "dangar" served as a misspelled "danger". It was a possibility it was a translation error, since it was taken into consideration that the canister was not made in a country containing the basics of the English language. Looking not too far, three massive giants stood dormant and lifeless, as cold as steel. Workers were working on these machines as well, testing the "eye" of the machine, which served to be just a mono-eye. One cycloptic crimson sphere, that moved from right to left, with the ability to scare anybody not used to seeing these ugly things.

This must have be a military, or at the very least, a settlement close to military affairs. How could one tell? These giants were armed with weapons that should only be adored on men with ground combat experience, so there might be some nostalgia hidden message to why machines of this timeline would be armed with weapons to this degree. One of the giants christened a large machine gun, with a flat circle figure serving as the clip. The other had a large bazooka, with four openings on the back for ammo. The last was adorn on the back of the machine, but seemed to be one that none of the other machines possessed due to both it's originality and irregularity; a flamethrower. The flamethrower consisted of a massive barrel, with tubes running through the crevices of the weapon itself. The flamethrower was so massive, that it had to be positioned over the giant's shoulder.

"General, will the G3 be effective? I mean, on morale?" A miniscule voice permitted itself into the inversion of a much higher ranking male. The man was baring a cap of his military origin, shielding any sort of evidence of aging he was undergoing. A dark gray lash of hair crept below his nose, while his eyes were that of stone, never evading the presence of the armored giants. The lackey on the other hand, had freckles, fitting the stereotype of a naturally weak, and submissive person. In response to the worker's question, the General was taken in to a state of humor, either commenting on the stupidity of something that only the general knew, much contrary to his own opinion.

"The G3 will work. You doubt it already, it's weapons like these canisters that will show the Federation Zeon's ferocity in the war. Haven't you realized that already?" The General said. His voice was deep, yet slightly affected from the aftereffects of tobacco that he usually took, hinting from the cracking moments in his speech.

"Sure. . . What about morale though?" The worker said quietly. The General didn't give him yet another look for another thing that the lackey couldn't comprehend.

"Haven't you been listening to me? I said that it'll boost morale in laymen terms. There's nothing wrong with a few sacrifices for the pride of war." The General's asseveration to the principal of war seemed to strike a surprise along the worker's perspective, as nothing but a puzzled expression was what the General got in exchange.

"Pride of war. . ." The worker said to nobody in particular. Those words echoed among the crevices of his mind. _That doesn't sound like something that the General would say,_ is what he said to himself to rid of the question for the time being. Another comment slipped his mouth, a comment that should have probably been much better not said. "Okay General Jackson. . . Ha ha. . I mean, you didn't get that rank for nothing. ." The worker froze for a moment, catching his tongue before he said something that'll get it cut off altogether.

"Idiot. . Get back to work or you and your entire team won't get any food, which will mean they'll be mad at you ." Jackson said. The threat speared through the worker's soul, triggering him to slightly quiver in fear at the thought.

Nobody said that the worker had to join the military. That's what the worker kept telling himself as he walked on back to one of the canisters, repeating his job as a supervisor for such a delicate task. After all, the entire battalion knew of Jackson's harshness. How for not laughing at his stale jokes, that could earn them several nights in the brig for no food. If one objected orders, Jackson could have him shot on sight. Among other things, Jackson would not let a woman into his battalion as well, just to prove "tough luck" on his battalion. That was basically how the military worked, even in the Universal Century's day and age, it was just a tough life, but those who could endure it would be remembered for their above average feat.

"Damn. . Those guys up at home. . They expect us to perfect a job like this. Acting one among many in a simultaneous attack on three entire Side clusters. Sometimes they ask us the impossible. ." Jackson asked himself how he managed to get into a situation like this, but on instant reflex, his mind replayed the scene so many months ago about the assignment. . . The one assignment that would most likely effect not only his battalion, but change the shape of the Universal Century. . .

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"General Jackson. I have heard much about your success over on the Federation, and I am glad to see that you have finally figured out that your life is for Zeon's hands." These words, tended to echo themselves into Jackson's vision. Everything became tangible. There, Jackson could remember a wizened man in a formal military uniform. The room was immense, and Jackson was placed in front of a massive desk where the man resided. The relation was that of a job interview, but the Admiral's cold stare seemed to strike Jackson not of fear, but more of a military leader to another. They both shared the same hardships. . Just a few complications kept them different as men.

"Thank you, Admiral Zabi." Jackson said in reply. He was not taken into the scenery as the vision did not play out completely in Jackson's mind just yet. He was attempting to focus on the content rather than the context.

"You have no need to call me that here, this isn't the battlefield just yet." The Admiral replied, with his voice carrying among the entire room. There, the scene was playing out to Jackson. Two chairs and a table. Several papers concerning colony economy slid in a disorganized mess. A hologram that mapped out all of the space colony clusters surrounding the Earth Sphere. Lastly, a massive pendulum, where each knock, tended to irritate the General further, but Rear Admiral Gihren Zabi must be a big war hawk, assuming on what symbolism the pendulum shares. Gihren was dressed in an over formal Zeon uniform that put standard uniform to shame. Jackson, was outfitted in his newly acquired outfit, but what was missing was his medals. "I have brought you here to discuss your position on the upbringing of war."

Jackson's expression formulated nothing short of a vexed one. "We're. . We're actually going to declare war on the Federation?" Jackson said in utter surprise.

"Of course. . But somebody of your caliber mustn't have been surprised by an announcement like this." Gihren said, and it appeared that he was right. Jackson was taken back being reminded of his current position, and pushed onward.

"Well then, speak on Admira-. Gihren. Tell me what you're planning to do." Jackson said. He was not distracted of Gihren's short time of his humor, no doubt about his genius plan for the Federation revolt.

"It's simple, but needs to be done with absolute perfection. One man's failure is enough to drag the rest down with him. However, it's not like the Federation won't be intimidated, but my goal is to strike fear into the civilians as well." Gihren's mental state seemed to present itself, however he did have a valid point. There is no such thing as a "friendly war", as causalities to all is just the backbone of the principal of war.

"What are you planning on doing?"

"A simultaneous attack on Sides 1, 2, and 4. I plan on my forces utilizing gassing operations or NBC (Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical) weapons. The next part does not concern you however, so you may pull back and do what you wish until the first drop forces are ready." Sure, the next part might not have concerned Jackson, but he might as well try to unveil what else Gihren was going to do. At least then, he can have a good idea on what to expect when the bodies really start to fall.

"Tell me this second part, because gassing civilians is something that will either turn for Zeon in fear, or turn against us in hatred." There was the man's curiosity at work. Gihren in reply, just leaned forward with his hands folded. A slight grin spread across the Admiral's face.

"They'll turn to us, because they know Zeon's right. Also, you must know that my second part of the plan is worse than the first." From Gihren's response, Jackson just leaned back.

"What could be worse. . Enlighten me." Jackson said in a rather sarcastic tone. Something that crossed Jackson's mind many times within the first few minutes on meeting the General, was his uncanny war plan to a German leader of the old Anno Domini timeline. . .

"A colony drop on Jaburo, South America, the Federal Forces HQ. That'll put a swift end to the war." A silence struck the room, as in ill-luck timing, the pendulum triggered a hard crash of noise through the quiet air. To Jackson's preference, it was okay to be bold in the war, as the lines are even uncertain when the battle is commenced. However, he does believe that boldness and insanity does have a fine line, and it wasn't clear which line Gihren was crossing.

"A. . . A colony drop!? Isn't that a bit much? Who knows how drastic the effects will be on Earth's environmental changes. A colony drop could taint the Earth for life." Jackson said. There are other ways to go about the war, but it doesn't seem like Gihren would be the type to change his methods. 'Either this guy is out of his mind, or he's the brains of a game commonly called "Mastermind of the Battlefield'_, Jackson thought to himself._

"What happens to the Earth doesn't matter. The citizens will know that migration to space is the true method. It would be even better if the Earth was permanently scarred. That would be more of a morale boost for Zeon than the Federation."

"Very well. . . How do you know that the Federation won't react to this and send your plan off course?" At this point, Jackson was trying to find as many holes into Gihren's crazy plan as possible.

"Stopping something of that mass once near Earth's gravity would be nearly impossible to accomplish. Now, don't you want to ask me how exactly you are going to carry out the first part?" Jackson accepted defeat in the argument, and withdrew from it.

"Sure. ." was Jackson's only answer.

"You'll take the 13th Battalion. Unlucky number I'm sure, considering their previous commander was executed for sharing documental information with the Federation. However, I'm sure a General can keep them inline, plus, they are one of the most fantastic group of soldiers I've seen in my days." Gihren applauded the 13th Battalion, now the only problem was how Jackson could establish order.

"Fine Gihren. However I have one more question. When will I get my medals back? It'll be kind of hard to enforce jurisdiction when I don't even have proof of my rank." Jackson mentioned. A quick. . Registry should at least grant some sort of proof of his rank.

"If you're really as good as I believe you are, you won't even notice that. You'll get your medals if you complete your mission." And there, was the bargain that Gihren proposed. The conversation was finally halted by a rather beautiful woman who for since the beginning of Jackson's entrance, has been standing still like some of the lifeless guards of the old timeline.

"Admiral Zabi, Kycillia is here to see you." The Female's voice was slender, and soft. She wasn't looking that bad either, but the woman departed from the room in such a haste it would be difficult to identify positive physical features upon her. Gihren stood because of this, probably wondering what Kycillia wanted. To Jackson, he only knew Kycillia as Gihren's sister, since all of the Zabis were war experts in Zeon ranks. What a loving family. .

"Damn woman, what does she want now. . Anyway, Jackson, you can see M'Quve on your way out. He'll brief you on what exactly you'll be seeing in the colony. Remember. . Sieg Zeon."

"Sieg. . Zeon. ." was the final line that Jackson could remember himself saying, as he was dragged out of his own visionary world by an outside force. . 

"General. . ." A soldier said meekly. The General gave no vital signs of life as he stared blankly in the distance. "General. ." The soldier called once more. There was still no sign of grasping the General's attention, so then the soldier raised his voice. "General!" Jackson jolted from the harshness of his tone. By instinct, he began to scold the soldier.

"What?! Hasn't anybody told you to not yell at your superior officers?!" Jackson's tone overwhelmed the soldier's previous endeavor. The lesser man was taken back by Jackson's hostility and quickly forced his frail frame into a salute to reprimand Jackson of his reason for his annoyance.

"I apologize sir, it's just that you've been standing here motionless for past few minutes." The soldier pointed out the obvious, while Jackson took it as an embarrassing moment. Jackson just sighed, taking into account of his own secret feelings on why exactly did he withdraw into his thoughts that deeply. However, Jackson soon forgot this, as what is done is done, and it wasn't like the soldier was extinguishing this factor out to anybody else. Like him, the soldier was just trying to do his job at the best of his ability.

"Well? What is it?" Jackson's tone dropped to it's deep, regular place. The soldier looked onto a sheet he had, and began to read off the reports.

"I've came to report that we're done loading the G3 canisters." When the soldier said this, Jackson's facial expression went from sultry, to a rather surprised one. Normally, it would take well over an hour to get the checks on the canisters working, so it was apparent that Jackson was rather pleased at the Battalion's accomplishment. With Jackson's relaxed expression of his emotions however, prevented him from showering the Battalion with praise.

"Hm. . . That was pretty damn fast, only 30 minutes to do so. No wonder Gihren recommended you band of fools. ." Jackson's voice level was barley above the tone of a whisper, as the soldier wondered what the thought escaped the General's thoughts so discreetly.

"Sir?" The soldier said this to captivate Jackson's attention once more.

"Forget it. What's our current position?" As if it was an order, the soldier did not dwell on Jackson's irregular transactions once more.

"Well. . . We still have to secure the radio channels to make the announcement of the declaration. Is there anything further you'd want to say when we broadcast?" The soldier asked. To address thousands of civilians of their predicaments was no easy task, a task that was on a toll that Jackson simply could not muster.

"No. . The Admiral will handle everything. He'll tell the civilians that their lives will be used for the cause of Zeon, and are merely causalities of war, not victims of murder." Jackson's voice was deep, and his eyes darted to the ground. His feelings upon the assignment was mixed, but he'd rather just not own up to the situation and just get his job done. He knew that he wasn't the only person who felt this way in the Battalion. After all, every single person helping had some sort of role in the gassing.

"Otherwise that, we still need to outfit the Zaku II unit properly. We have Ensigns Lisa and Cabochon, but we haven't seen any word from the squad leader. He still may be in his mobile suit." The soldier said. Jackson was rather pleased with his battalion's current situation. He was now starting to see what expectations an Admiral would have for a unit of this momentum. However, the news of one of his pilots missing did not grant him with a more than happy expression. Sure, he should asseverate a pilot of the squad leader's potential, but a gifted "giant driver" or "mobile suit pilot would not share anymore benefits than the cooks, since Jackson was the one who believed in mutual understanding. Although, his current position of gassing a colony does raise some hypocrisy about Jackson, and it's often talked about among his battalion.

Otherwise, Jackson swiftly curved to the direction of the trio of steel giants, forgetting about the Soldier's life already. It wasn't like he even knew his name to begin with. Jackson could see his other workers lifting up one of the canisters onto a wheelie. Due to the lack of cranes or any other useful construction material that would be regularly recommended for delicate tasks alike of these, the soldiers had to utilize their brawn in overwhelming quantities in order to lift them. Harsh yes, but it could produce muscles among the already weak members in his battalion. 

To one of the giants, a ladder was positioned, leaning on the chest of the "Zaku". If one could glance upward, he or she could see a small captivity in the torso area, granted where the cockpit was. Jackson climbed up the ladder with extreme caution, attempting to ignore the various thoughts in his head pertaining to fear of heights. Jackson froze whenever the ladder rocked, and he'd occasionally look down; witnessing his ant colony of workers like dots scurrying around. For a period that seemed like hours, but was in actuality minutes, Jackson accomplished reaching the cockpit of the Zaku.

Was there a pilot? There was a pilot, but the sight of the pilot in the cockpit automatically perturbed Jackson. The pilot was young, and had blonde hair. He could identify headphones around his head, and the pilot dormant. Asleep at a time like this. . Jackson looked to where the headphones were connected to, and it seemed to have been plugged into the radio port of the control console. Military radios were only meant for emergency transmission, not music-listening. Jackson attempted to identify the music that the pilot was peacefully listening to, and by what it seems, it was a song not even from the Universal Century, but from the "Old Timeline".

'Ode to Joy'. . .

"Lieutenant Samuel Apollo!" Jackson's voice was booming, as it echoed within the tight space of the Zaku cockpit. The pilot took no mind of Jackson's annoyance, while Jackson cursed on the pilot's assumed "ignorance". "Damn it. ." Jackson violently turned the adjusting knob of the radio as far as it could go in one direction. Apollo was insolently awakened by the symphony of loud static and fuzz noises.

"Ah. . Man. . Don't get excited all at once. . Who is it?" This man, Apollo said in a sluggish speed. As soon as Apollo's vision obscured, his first treat of waking into the living was the General's angry face, something that everybody in the battalion was adjusted to much more than they should, or deserve. Oh man. _Another lecture. . I don't need this right now,_ is what rang through the man's mind. Upon thinking that, Jackson ripped the headphones out of socket and nearly damaged them in his furor. Immediately in Jackson's fit of rage, with a mixture of panic, he threw the headphones out of the Zaku's cockpit, landing somewhere in the endless amass of green below.

"You dumbass! What in the hell were you thinking! You listening to the radio is enough to alert any Federation forces in this colony! How would that feel?! You've blew this entire operation just because you happen to feel the need to slack off?" Jackson yelled. His raised tone seemed to call to Apollo's attention rather quickly.

"Sir. . . There aren't any Federal Force battleships for around 5 more colonies in this entire Side. . Don't get overworked for nothing." Apollo said quietly, as if he was experienced with Jackson's scolding.

"Apollo, look, we're all distressed about this assignment, but that calls for no reason to slack off while people are working their asses off to keep _us _ alive. . Just because you're a new-"

"I told you once, never call me that term. ." Apollo's tone dropped, to that of a violent one. His eyes glared upon Jackson as stiff as rocks. .

"Ha. . Ha. . That's funny. The psychic doesn't want to be called the proper term. You have your own problems I see. . We're about to mobilize, so prepare. I would switch Cabochon for you, but he adores that Zaku more than his own life, plus the flamethrower would be useless in space. . Anyway, you're on standby in the colony, just incase Federal Forces _are _ in Guru 10, you'll standby to secure an exit. That's all. . Lieutenant." Apollo was silent up until he was sure that Jackson was clear from the cockpit altogether. It was then where he finally had the clearance to curse to no one in particular, but rather just to work off his own anger about things. He took great offense to being called a "psychic". For what reason, is unknown, but one would assume it was because it ruptured a greater boundary from his battalion, the collection of soldiers from all sorts of races and backgrounds.

The collection of soldiers he called. . "family".

"Now that Operation Halo is prepared execution, I want to make sure of our mission one more time before we go, just incase you. . Lazy people who feel superior to most of us, feel free to have forgotten." The soldiers ceased their activities, and turned towards Jackson, paying the General their utmost attention.

"As you know, Operation Halo is one among many Operations to start off the declaration of war with the Federation not in a whimper, but a bang. To strike fear into the Federation and civilians alike. Ensigns Cabochon and Mayes will create two holes on two opposites of the colony to plant the G3 canisters. Simultaneously, I'll take a team to raid the TV station while Lieutenant Apollo stands by in his Zaku II to assure that no Federation forces try to make a comeback." Jackson cleared his throat. .

"There, I'll relay to home so that Gi. . . Admiral Zabi's speech will come through. This is the crucial part, the moment of the end of the speech, both canisters should be activated, that's when we'll swiftly pull out. We plan to hi-jack a civilian cruiser for escape while the three Zakus provide cover. ." Jackson's tone after this point started to go awry.

"If by some reason the operation goes wrong and the Federation _does _ show up, I expect the mobile suit force to dispatch of the battleships, and we'll escape by the civilian ship. Hopefully, other than that, the operation will be a success and causalities should be nil. Hopefully a bumbling battalion such as yourself, will be able to handle this easy mission. That's all. . Dismissed. ." Afterwards, Jackson was treated to wild fanfare of Zeon's motto. Jackson seemed, out of place at the moment. . For somebody who was a Zeon General, these excited cries in German seemed so foreign to him. For the Glory of Zeon. . Sieg Zeon.

"S. . . Sieg. . . Zeon." The line rang forth to nobody but himself, as Jackson silently questioned the mere integrity of those two words. .

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"Hey, did you hear? Zeon's in this colony!" A soft voice whispered on. The voice was moderately deep, but not as bass-toned compared to older people.

"For what?" A second voice replied in question.

"I'm not sure. I just heard from my dad that they're here, and they don't even know the Federation is here." The gossip between the two beings continued on.

"Your dad isn't a Federation officer." The reply was soft in tone, but the other person seemed to take offense to the rebellion.

"He is too!" The second voice loudly replied, breaking the soft mood of silence.

"Liar!" The physical plane came to existence, as it appeared to be a lot of beings trapped into one confined space. At the sound of hearing the boy's harsh tone, eyes around the room deviated from their previous activities and focused onto the source. The boy seemed rather nervous until a man dressed much differently from the shirts and khaki pants approached the boy. The man's face expressed pure annoyance.

"Evan Jones, if you interrupt one more time, I'll send you out in the hall! That is the last time I'll put up with your disturbances!" The Teacher's lecture was rudely interrupted by the pair of disruptive students. It's the first day back to school, and the students already feel as if they were at their own routine once again; school, school, and more school. Midway High School, as the name suggests, it's the public high school for the central area of Guru 10. As far as citizens go, they were also back to their methods. The traffic was littered with cars even two hours before the coming of noon. As many students near the windows looked outside, they could see the glistening sun (with the aid of reflection mirrors) shining upon the colony, granted it was supposed to be night time on most parts of Earth, but colonies follow their own day/night conversions as they see fit. When the news announced would be night time, the mirrors shifted so no light could get to the colony, and the moon glistened even more so than it did on Earth.

The same goes with weather as well. If it was going to rain, it would be announced. If so many people denounced the approval of raining for that day, the engineers of the colony would designate the rainy weather for another day. One thing that never saw Guru 10 was snow, if half the people in the colony even know what snow is . Life in the Colony can be so boring, considering gravity wells give you the same feeling as you do on Earth, but everybody who lived in space felt some sort of pressure that they could not feel elsewhere. Maybe this was mankind's evolution taking shape. However, sometimes life in the colony can be very. . . Boring.

Then, the focus is on a boy in the classroom, sitting in the far back against one of the windows. His arm was positioned as a pillar holding his head up, as his face clearly expressed some drowsiness. He probably wasn't ready for school either, and just to think, kids used to go to school much later, but that's one of the many changes of the Universal Century from the Anno Domini timeline. It feels like a year ago if it wasn't 78 or so years ago. Outside the school wasn't any better either; workers cleaning off post New Years' objects off the streets wasn't interesting. Below the boy's arm was a drawing of a Zeon Zaku, the flagship mobile suit of the Duchy that changed military warfare and mechanics for years, and something that was assumed was that mobile suits happen to be the pinnacle of technology. The boy's drawing was of a Zaku I, and older, non military model that was released to the public.

"Hey Satoru. . . What are you doing with a drawing of a Zeon Zaku?" A girl said. The boy called Satoru shrugged firmly before answering the girl next to him. Satoru was a quiet boy, but got good grades, but it's not like he acknowledged them or his talent. He keeps telling himself that it was "just a fluke" doubting his own confidence. Satoru had shoulder length black hair that made him look rather. . . Woman-like at times, and no he did not get through school in one peace looking like that. The girl had short brown hair. . Or she used to have brown hair before she died it black. Her skin was of a darker coloration than Satoru's as her skin was slightly brown. Some would call it natural, others would presume it was just a tan.

"I like the Zeon. . Zeon Zum Daikun's [2] ideals on spacenoid equality makes perfect sense to me and I agree with it. I also like his philosophies of human evo-" Satoru's strong sense of devotion to a hobby was interesting and all, but the girl simply dismissed the factor as an act of stupidity and fanboyism.

"You actually believe that load of bull?" The girl caught herself a split second too late when she was talking out of a quiet tone, but more in a semi-loud tone. The previously irritated teacher caught the girl before she could even counteract.

"Margaret May! Do you have anything to say that has to be said in front of the entire class?" Margaret looked down at the floor, trying not to meet eye-to-eye with the teacher, or what she called "The Tyrant".

"No sir. . . I won't disrupt again." Margaret's tone was barley above any audible levels, but the teacher could figure exactly what the girl said. The teacher retreated in victory, thinking that he attained fear over one of his students. . Or so he thought.

"You'd better. . Now, as I was saying. . . " The teacher began off with his lecture, and to Satoru, everything from there trailed off ward. Satoru's head dropped down, due to the lack of activity and interest to the teacher's lectures and the lesson itself. Margaret sat back down, grinning at Satoru in a dominance or victory sort of way. Or a mischievous manner.

"Heh. . Works every time." Margaret took pride over fooling the teacher to get out of the mess she caused. Satoru on the other hand, was disgusted at Margaret's hand of trickery.

"Goodness. . . This is your first time getting caught. . ." It would even seem that Satoru even avowed some sense of duty, or maybe it was just Margaret's method on getting out of trouble.

"What's wrong? Sometimes the "good girl" gets caught sometimes too. I'm only human, not one of the "evolved human" nonsense you read." Margaret said, continuing to make fun of Satoru for his strong devotion that not everybody could make sense out of. If anybody else, Satoru would just dismiss them, but given how long he knew Margaret, he eventually got used to her ranting.

"I think it makes perfect sense. . . Our souls aren't weighed down by gravity, so our souls are free to roam and discover new boundaries. ." Satoru said, quoting perfectly from a passage within the philosophical book of his. Margaret's head moved to the side, eyeing Satoru in a puzzled manner. After a moment, she found another use of an insult.

"Is that your reason? Or is that Deikun's reasoning?" And the blow was struck, and Satoru had no way to retaliate.

"Err. . . Well. ."

"Ha. . I knew you wouldn't be able to defend that stuff. Philosophies aren't supposed to be true, they're just entertainment, and leave it at that." Satoru, battered and defeated in the argument, just sighed softly. It would seem that nobody could understand the true meaning of what Zeon Zum Daikun was trying to pronounce and articulate. Not his mother, certainly not his father considering he was an Earth Elitist, and was in the Earth Federation as a technical specialist, not his friends, or even Margaret. Even though the two tend to argue from time to time.

"Well. . . I'm going to leave during lunch. You want to come with me?" Yet another surprise was struck. Satoru was the last person to ditch school, unless it was. .

"Where in the hell would you. . . Oh no. . A Zeon escapade?" The mocking tone in Margaret's voice seemed to finally deal quite of an offense to him. Satoru just nodded in reply.

"That could get you suspended, besides, those are just rumors . The odds are Zeon isn't really in the colony." Margaret tried to persuade Satoru against this transaction, but the boy proved to be extremely stubborn in the matter.

"No way. . I saw an Armored Vehicle this morning." Satoru replied. Margaret was still attempting to find holes in his story.

"What if it's the Federation's?"

"I just have. . . An intuition, okay?"

"Whatever. ." Margaret said to herself. _That just makes things so much more re-assuring,_ the girl thought to herself. Two geological ages later, the class was finally released from the clutches of the Teacher. Satoru folded up his drawing, and shoved it in his pocket. Margaret just followed him, every once in awhile, muttering about Satoru's lack of wisdom on this decision and was hoping that he would lose interest during lunch. However, this was not the case as he didn't go to lunch, but straight outside to the back quad. Around that, were fences and houses. There was no gate to simply pass through, but Margaret became even more annoyed when Satoru started to climb the fence.

"You've got to be kidding me. ." The boy was prepared to cross every boundary, but Margaret was getting annoyed by this. By her logic, if she didn't try to get the boy out of trouble, who truly would?

"You want to come don't you?" Satoru asked. Margaret just pouted in response, as finally she was the one who was beaten into submission.

"Fine. . Somebody has to keep you out of trouble." Margaret said, but regretted it immediately afterwards. She went above her call of duty and tried to climb the abnormally high fence. Once to the top, the boy ended up getting a few cuts on his hand due to the twisted sharp tops of the fence, but managed to overcome that and jump to the bottom. Margaret's end, was another story as it seemed to be an hour before she could make it over the edge. The was more nervous on if a teacher came. Once getting to the top, she lost her footing, and her dress got caught on the tip of the fence.

She let out a shriek that must have caught a lot of attention before plummeting long and hard onto the grass of somebody else's backyard. Part of her dress was torn, but not enough to show any "unmentionables".

"You are just a master athletic. You can join the Olympics if you keep that up." Satoru teased, and them laughed to himself. She got up, brushing off any excess dirt on her already torn skirt.

"Shut the h-. . Hey, look over there. ." She pointed to the distance. Something that was visible was a thick cloud of black smoke coming from the north. Before the two knew it, gunshots could be heard from miles away, the same with booming explosions that ruptured the ground no matter how far they where.

"A battle. . Here?"

"That's probably your Zeon. ." Those words rang a bell through Satoru's mind, as the gunfire increased even closer to their present vicinity. . He beckoned the girl to come with him, and so the last shot was them running in the distance where the sounds were originating from.

****

To Be Continued.

__

------------

Author Notes 

[1] "DANGAR" - "DANGAR is basically an Engrish saying. I think Engrish is Japanese dialect in English. You've seen some anime when they say "Rock On" rather than "Lock On". If anybody has seen Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, G3 Canisters say "DANGAR" instead of "danger". For me, it's some bit of nostalgia.

[2] Zeon Zum Daikun is the former leader of Zeon when it was a republic. If anybody watched the old Mobile Suit Gundam series, this is Char Aznable, or Casval Daikun's father. He was murdered by the Zabi family, which is how maniacs like Gihren Zabi got power.


	2. Act 2: The Maelstrom

****

Act 2: The Maelstrom

Live First Radio Broadcasting Station

11:15

****

"Ah hell! How were we supposed to know that the Federation was here?!" Within a small, confined space, the Earth was shaken. Clearly audible sounds of gunfire stained the once peaceful aura, as the occupant in this space grudged on, with forces of gravity pushing against his frail human form. Within the cockpit, was a complete surrounding simulation of what would be seen, if the scale wasn't indifferent. The elevation was much higher, as the sight stretched out as far as building tops. The man within the cockpit tightly held onto twin joysticks, directing the massive machine to his very will. The pilot appeared to be very muscular in build, and had blonde hair.

"I don't know how the Federation managed to get Zakus. . But I guess we'll have to deal!" A woman said. Her dark blue hair was discreetly tied back to allow her head to fit the helmet she was clad upon. Her eyes being the same azure coloration, looked without fail into the distance. Behind her, was a radio tower, and assuming from the defensive stance of the machine she was in, the radio station urged protection. The woman's machine along the man's, were twin Zaku II mobile suits, both with the dark green color, and the singular crimson eye that glared to the right and left. In front of them was their opposition, the Earth Federation in disguise with the same Zeon mobile suit model. Through one mean or another, the Federation managed to obtain the Zeon mobile suits. In front, there were 4 Federation-manned Zaku II's, all with their own sort of weapons, while only Ensigns Lisa Maes and Rick Cabochon surfaced as the 13th Battalion's only line of defense.

Lisa's Zaku II emitted an azure stream from it's back, which promptly forced the Zaku airborne, attempting to get a straight up attack. One of the enemy Zaku II's drove his mobile suit backwards, narrowly avoiding the machine gun fire which collided straight into the hard concrete. Massive shells dropped down at high velocities, as one of the discarded shells crushed a car on impact. Lisa grunted at the amount of force exercised when the Zaku II collided into the ground; an earth-shattering rupture ensuring. The enemy mobile suit whom she was currently engaging responded with lightning fast reflexes as it opened machine gun fire on Lisa's suit.

"Damn it!" She pulled back on one of the joysticks which steered the Zaku. With a bit of slow reaction, the Zaku boosted backwards, not giving a care of any civilian objects she might have destroyed along the way. The Zaku II quickly curved behind a building, which immediately got wrecked by machine fire. She took this time to reload her weapon, waiting for an opportunity to counter-attack which seemed like ages as the enemy relentlessly fired upon the building, either trying to give away her cover, or lure her out in the open.

On Cabochon's end, he drove his Zaku straight into one of the Federation ones. A shock forced him back, but he managed to overcome the overwhelming force as the Zaku's hand retreated behind it, immediately pulling out a miniature axe. The enemy that Cabochon "claimed" moved forward with fierce vigor, even that of more capability than his own Zaku contained.

"Take this!!" Cabochon screamed as he pushed the joystick all the way forward, and in response in perfect synchronization, his mobile suit drove the axe down into the enemy Zaku hard. With a push of another button on the joystick, the blade of the axe immediately formulated to a gold-like color. A mass amount of heat emitted from the blade of the axe as the blade drove even deeper into the enemy's shoulder. After a minute, the blade sliced clean through the enemy's right arm, leaving it discarded among the street. From the amount of force from the arm falling, street lamps among other things were shuffled about violently. The arm twitched every moment before going dead completely. The armless Zaku was left with no other options but pulling out it's own saber. "Not down yet. . No you don't!"

The rush of battle went through Cabochon's blood as he screamed, forcing his mobile suit into the enemy as hard as he could, with the blade of the weapon dubbed the "Heat Hawk" sideways. Cabochon bashed the foot pedals with his feet as he could feel the thrusters of the Zaku fire up with life. This gave the Zaku extra momentum to the blade so much that it slit straight through the cockpit area of the enemy mobile suit. The enemy Zaku hummed wildly, as it's crimson eye rotated wildly from right to left, before the suit went dead altogether. Cabochon withdrew the heat hawk for his back mounted bazooka to move on to his next prey. However, thoughts of Jackson's discretion caught Cabochon at the last possible moment of rest. _Don't let them explode. . We're trying to destroy the colony aren't we?_

Then, Jackson came into the radio from the T.V. Station through Lisa and Cabochon's mobile suits. The battle was so fierce, the two pilots didn't even realize the transmission until Jackson's voice sounded in their cockpits. 

"Ensigns Cabochon and Lisa, you only have two mobile suits left-" Jackson said, trying to lighten the mood for both of the young pilots. Both of them retreated to a piece of cover, and tried to both communicate with their superior, and not get overwhelmed in the battle at the same time. 

"Tell us something we don't know! I thought intelligence said that this colony was clear!" Lisa's excitement caught Jackson's tongue, and he could detect a bit of frustration within her tone. 

"Apparently, the intelligence can't do their job correctly. ." Jackson said into the radio, sighing as he did. For something along the lines of the Federation getting mobile suits, that should have been the first thing that intelligence caught, unless. . _Did Gihren not tell us about this to test us? Test me?_

"What about the connection? Does it work?" Cabochon said. Cutting to Jackson's end, several workers and armed soldiers were trying their best to take control of the communication within the colony. However, Federation force interception has prevented them from taking control of the colony. The room was dim, and littered with bullet holes all across the walls. Around Jackson, several bodies laid a waste. . .

"No, the Federation cut it before we arrived. . Damn. . They knew we were going to strike all along. They must have some sources in their forces." Jackson said distraughtly. 

"What. . -static- about Apollo?" Cabochon asked. The battle was raging even closer, and Jackson struggled to maintain his calm, even through the negative current events. 

"The space team is dead, and Apollo is setting the last canister. . Oh wait, I have a transmission from him now. Both of you just hold on. ." Jackson replied. In response, Lisa just became more frustrated, but there wasn't much that she could have done.

"Easier said than done. . ." Is what the woman said when she steered her Zaku out from the building that served as her cover. The Federation Zaku crept close, but she opened a rain of machine gun fire upon the Zaku. Each shot hit various parts of the Zaku, but somehow, it managed to fire off it's own weapon, that drove Lisa airborne. That was the last thing that Jackson saw of the battle when he cut transmission with the two Ensigns, and said a little prayer to himself, praying that his Battalion gets out of this alive.

"Apollo!" Jackson screamed into the radio. The danger of the moment brought this so, even though Apollo's response was anything less than ecstatic.

"What?" Apollo asked his superior. Over the hazed transmission, Apollo could hear nothing but chaos. He could just assume what the sounds could be like by just assuming what it was like currently, a chaotic battle. The truth was that the battle was on a much smaller scale, but to the rest of the Battalion, it was their first live battle. The same went with Apollo as well, but by the calmness of his voice, it would appear that he wasn't worried, or that he overestimated victory over the Federation. Either way, he sounded like a veteran after years of the same battle routine.

"What's your status?" Jackson asked. When Apollo's words came out, they were mostly obscured by radio interference. 

"Well. . I've set the canisters to release in 2 minutes. There are a few Federation cruisers who saw me out here, and they opened fire. It hit the canisters and I had to pull it to the longest I could do." The situation was turning to the worst already. 

"Federation battleships? What in the hell is going on here?" Jackson asked. Apollo took a lag in reply, as his voice took upon a more serious tone. 

"We were suckered, that's what happened. There are 3 Salamis-Class battleships. From the looks of it, they'll storm the colony and order the civilians to retreat." When Apollo said this, Jackson took a moment to retreat in his own world, pondering the irregularity of the current events. 

"There is no way that Federation battleships would _just_ be passing by. . They obviously knew about this one. ." Jackson said to nobody in particular. 

"I suggest----------ignite-----get----here" A deep screech upon the radar filled sustained the captivity within the conversation between both military officials. Jackson could just assume what Apollo was attempting to proclaim. A suggestion to ignite the gas and pull the forces out of the colony. However with that, several problems resided.

"But the declaration is in 35 minutes, there will be no way to get home after that. ." Jackson asked. Sure, he was supposed to be in charge, but in a situation like this, he left Apollo with some say in the operation. After all, he's the only one who could man the gas canisters, as there were no others who could get out of the colony fast enough to prevent complete Federation takeover. 

"Forget it. We have to ignite the gas in. . . 1 minute and 30 seconds. We can't wait any longer than that. ." Apollo said. Jackson took a minute to ponder the consequences, and therefore made a decision based upon the circumstances.

"Hey, blockheads! Listen up! Put on your gas-masks on the double! We're going to hi-jack a Federation cruiser! Got that Apollo?" Apollo gave no reply, and Jackson in turn sneaked a sneer upon his wizened face. "Good. Standby, and engage when Cabochon and Lisa have finished their thing." As he struggled to put on his gas equipment, he thought to himself in bewilderment. . _You can't fool me Zabi. . This is one hell of a test you orchestrated. _Jackson was interrupted within his thoughts by an ear-piercing crash that managed to rock the entire building. Walls cracked violently, light fixtures fell, sparks flew from electricity failures, all of the sort as the soldiers in the building were also knocked around. Lisa's Zaku was thrown violently into the radio station by an enemy. The woman shrieked before she pointed the Zaku's machine gun directly at the head of the enemy. Not caring where she fired, the machine gun rocked, firing clips at light speed. The enemy Zaku was forced back, before it promptly fell on it's back, ruining the street even more. Jackson felt the second quake the moment the enemy Zaku collided among the ground. Lisa was breathing heavily due to the fact that she stared Death straight in the eye. . .

And lived. .

"Sir. . . We've. . Almost taken care of this, but I'm not sure. . If the Federation will send reinforcements. ." Lisa was panting deeply. . Her hand was planted deeply within her chest to try to forcefully control her breathing level. She looked down at the enemy Zaku that was once contributing to the wanton destruction. She could see the cockpit of the Zaku II, shredded by machine-gun fire. Several body parts were damaged from the barrage. . She could even see a small, mangled form sticking out of a small ruined hole where the cockpit used to be. . "That. . That could have been. . Me. . That could have been me right now. . ."

"Leave the dead ones, carry the wounded! We're leaving!" Jackson spoke with his voice muffled by the gas-mask. Jackson among other soldiers were evacuating. "Lisa, Apollo is going to try to fend off the battleships. There will be no declaration for the colony, we're going to have to start the gassing immediately." Jackson barked into the communication line.

"Apollo take on 3 battleships on his own? He's only human, not a Char Aznable [2]!" Granted that the infamous Char hasn't even went into battle yet, from his simulations, they say that Aznable is a deity when it comes to piloting mobile suits, and is pretty well known in Zeon ranks. It was unknown how much capability he could behold when the real fighting actually starts. . Even though the 13th Battalion were fighting for their lives.

"He can do it. He's not normal anyway. Clean up the last enemy, you and Cabochon are going to carry all of us back, so neither one of you die." Jackson said. Immediately after, a nameless soldier gave a survey on the current situation.

"Sir! I've got confirmation, the canisters will open in 10 seconds!"

****

The massive timer on the twin canisters hit 00:00 deadlock at simultaneous rates. The lower hatch of the canister opened, as several pipes connected itself to different nozzles due to computer manipulation. A fan within the canister started off at a slow rotation, until it swiftly blew the hazardous G3 gas into the colony through the crudely made puncture. Below it, the same time happened. Both of the "skies" of the colony where emitting a yellowish cloud into the air, which spread at random. The sound that the wind was making was the sound of death upon the colony.

Before the first few symptoms could occur, Satoru and Margaret, who were making their way to the source of the battle stopped at the loud noise coming from the northeast and the northwest. Both of the students looked up, perplexed at what was happening. Before they could say anything, a dead leaf from above slowly filtered down to the ground, before it was caught by Satoru. He inspected it thoroughly, and ended up getting a nauseating feeling. . .

"Margaret. . Cover your nose." The boy desperately pleaded. Due to Margaret's impulsive nature, she rebelled against any such order that didn't have much of a purpose at first. 

"Why should I?" The girl attempted to act sassy to Satoru even in moments like this. . His next comment however, would persuade her over.

"Please. . Just do it." Satoru's tone of desperation struck Margaret's heart like an arrow, and she followed his instructions. Satoru beckoned for Margaret to follow him, as he did not have a very good feeling about the cloud. His only plan, was to find his father near the hangars, were all military affairs were disputed, rather than placing them within the city. So the two took off in a dash. Margaret didn't answer, as she was only following Satoru. Every one in awhile, Satoru placed his hand on his head. . It was like some sort of rush, making his blood run cold. Every few moments, it got worse and worse. He was disinclined to mention it to mention it to Margaret until it got really bad.

"Margaret, do you feel that?" Satoru asked Margaret if she felt the same overwhelming motions that he did. . Unless it was to his imagination, or maybe it was only being felt to him and no other.

"Feel what?" The girl asked. Just by that reply, Satoru's question was already answered.

"Never mind. ." It was an irregular feeling indeed. It was like he could hear the voices of many people crying out. Many people that he probably seen before, or never even heard of. Or never paid any mind to. It wouldn't matter now, as the new feeling seeping through his skin and bones was a sickening feeling. . He felt nauseous all over. . And a chill was sent down his spine when he heard a scream. Satoru quickly looked around. . It was almost lifelike. No other being was around, which was odd as well. . Margaret looked over to him, concerned about his well being. After that, a verbal-less transaction was made between the two, and their trek continued on. 

****

Outside of the colony, Apollo was having his own time by avoiding the flurry of beam shots from the trio of battleships. He manipulated his Zaku with expertise, dodging every blast with an amazing result of athletic ability, however. . Even that wasn't enough to prevent the power shells from piercing the Zaku's various limbs in no time at all. .

"So. . You persist on fighting. ."

Apollo said this to himself as the Zaku's leg got blown off, the force sending his Zaku spiraling. Once more at a disadvantage since his only weapon could not have been used in space. Apollo was merely attempting to bide his time until his commander gives him the okay. However, it seemed very difficult to achieve this mode of patience in such a heated battle.

"Hm. . War or not, it's all the same. . It's always humans against each other."

The other leg of the Zaku got blown off, with the resulting force hurling the legless mobile suit back.

"It's you people who are causing damnation on the world, but yet. ."

A blast hit the pelvis of the Zaku II, raising the damage meter to a phenomenal height now. The force sent the Zaku shaking violently, as the trio of screens before Apollo cracked, forcing small pieces of debris flying throughout the cockpit. The myopic eye of the Zaku glared as he targeted the closest battleship. The Zaku pulled out the flamethrower that was adored on the back part of it's shoulder.

"My cause will prevail regardless! I refuse to die now!"

Amidst of Apollo's personal hatred for these "normal humans", the Zaku flew to the nearest Salamis at the top-most ability the Zaku II could go. He gracefully dodged a barrage of energy blasts before putting the flamethrower's tip directly in front of him, on a near collision course with the bridge of the Salamis.

"Go to hell!!!" Apollo screamed these lines as he forced the tip of the flamethrower directly into the bridge. The fire from that particular Salamis among others ceased. Air was escaping the bridge as the crew members were flying out into space, where sound promptly ceased upon contact to the endless black void. With a flick of a button, the flamethrower ignited directly into the bridge. The flames scorched far, through several floors below the bridge. He pointed the tip down with the remaining amount of air at full blast. Due to his advanced intuition, the high powered flames managed to strike on directly with lots of machinery connected to the thrusters of the ship. Apollo steered his Zaku backwards, and onto the next battleship as the Salamis behind him became overcome with electricity. . The thrusters cut itself off with a few last breaths of life before the Salamis split itself in half with a chain of explosions. One could see the collection of crew members flying off to their deaths.

"I still have my job to do. It's nothing personal, you guys are just on the wrong side. ." Apollo said in his now calm manner. To the next one, Apollo drove his Zaku to the side, pulling out a Heat Hawk from it's back. Once more, no turret could manage to score a hit on Apollo now that he's actually trying. It was unknown how the heat hawk could function in space, but it was doubted that anyone who piloted a Zaku actually cared about that in battle. Once coming in contact with the Salamis, he steered his Zaku into swiping one of the particle cannon turrets, wrecking that one with it's barrels floating off into space. Then, he made his contact to the bridge. He kept his Zaku at the same thrust as he put the Heat Hawk outwards, slicing the "neck" of the bridge with one pass. The air escaped through that one filling, as all activity cut off from that ship all together. Might as well give that one a slow death. . Apollo came in contact with the final Salamis, and pointed the flamethrower directly at the bridge, establishing a connection link to the crew of the unlucky ship.

"I hear-by declare this ship under Zeon captivity. . If you force to comply, you will be killed. ." When the Zeon pilot announced these words, tension rose among the Federation crew. .

"What? That was fast. . We surrender. ." Chatter filled the bridge, both negative and positive comments regarding the quick takeover. Apollo on the other hand, just chuckled to himself. 

"There's something we have in common with the humans as well. . We both adore our lives than anything else. ."

****

"Hurry up! You're running too slow!" The roles were reversed, now Satoru was the one leading Margaret.

"Shut up! I'm trying the best I can. . Don't you feel dizzy too?" Margaret said, as her voice wavered from the effects of the gas looming upon them.

"Just a little. . Bit. . Farther. ." Even throughout such a crisis with doom impending, the pair still continued the argue the long and arduous 2 miles to the hangar. Normally, such a thing shouldn't be hard to cover, but considering that the thick fog was impairing their breathing harmonics considerably, it was a miracle the two weren't dead yet from the spreading gas. The yellowish gas spread onward like a plague, and as the two agreed, they went for lower ground to bide their time as much as possible. A sight that freaked them both equally was the collection of dead bodies he saw lying among the streets. Some adults, some children that shouldn't have even died in the first place in this manner. Margaret kept telling herself that their luck would run out since they weren't wearing anything near the proper equipment for this. Satoru continued to feel dizzy and nauseated, but it wasn't due to the gas.

It was like a cold chill flying into his body. . The boy could barely even get focused on his destination, and occasionally faded between the gray area of consciousness and unconsciousness. The boy's thoughts tended to dwindle in attention of his current crisis and started thinking about their school and his friends. Did they make it out okay? Did they die back there like these on the streets? And even more so, his distress on why the Zeon, the force who he presumed to be his idol for the longest would do something like this. Was there war in mind?

. . Their hope seemed numbered until the only grateful sight all day presented itself to them.

"Look. . . It's the hangar. . My father should be in there if he hasn't died already. ." Satoru said distraughtly, already expecting the worse. Margaret tried her best to confront him, but not doing it directly.

"Doubt that. . You know what the rumors say, the Federation let the Zeon in for reasons that are unknown, so they might have planned this." The girl tried to lighten the boy's mood, but that didn't help much either. More thoughts penetrated Satoru's mind, like if the Federation knew an attack would be issued, why did they wait for it to actually happen? That would be the first thing he would ask his father as the pair entered the hangar of the colony. There beside a massive gate resided several buildings. Satoru witnessed several Federation soldiers dressed in the proper equipment with a innumerable amount of construction worker mobile pods in the vicinity. Everybody knew that mobile pods [1] were usually armed for space construction work, but never combat against a Zaku.

"Dad! Dad! Are you there?" One of the armed Federation soldiers turned as the voice sounded familiar. There was Satoru's father, witnessing Satoru and his "female companion" coughing heavily due to in take from the G3. His father's voice went dry, containing that of fear with the mixture of mild anger.

"Son. . What are you doing here? I thought you evacuated with everybody else. ." Satoru's father was more relieved than angry at the situation. Kei Hakiteki was a decent father as far as parenting goes. His wife already divorced him years ago, and she was residing somewhere on Earth. Satoru counted his blessings, as his mother was far away from the chaos taking place in space.

"Well you see. . I ditched school to see the Zeon, and-" But then Kei's aggressive and frustrated attitude kicked into high gear.

"You idiot! You should have stayed were you were! While you were wondering the streets, you possibly could be evacuated right now! Who knows how much G3 you've took in. ." Now his father seemed more worried than anything else. The father trailed off where he saw a thin outline of blood on his boy's hands that was discarded from his mouth. The girl's symptoms were a bit slow, but she too showed signs of the hazard that the G3 secretly inflicted.

"Hey. . You two soldiers, take them to the military shuttle, and make sure they get to Earth or some other medic on the double. . I have report from a few other colonies in the Side that Zeon attack started to surface. . Our colony was just the product of a slip up. ." Kei said. Two nameless grunts appeared from assumingly nowhere, but Satoru with his last remaining strength, attempted to quarrel. 

"Why. . Why didn't you do anything? . ." Satoru asked. Kei was a Federation officer, and they knew that the Zeon were in the colony in the first place. He refused to see it from a realistic view however, and saw it as the Federation was willing to make sacrifices. 

"We had to make sure that the Zeon weren't trying anything. . We didn't want to start a war, but it's too late for that now. . Oh. . You must be Margaret. . I'm sure you've kept him alive longer than he would, eh?" Kei attempted to pass a joke. He knew Margaret's parents well, but their fates were unknown. Margaret's actions were sluggish though. .

"Heh. . Heh. . Just my. . Job. ." The two were on the verge of passing through the line of the mortality as two nameless Federation soldiers hurriedly carried the kids to the military shuttle. The orders were to launch the shuttle as soon as possible, and hopefully the mobile pod pilots would be able to retreat onto the shuttle with their lives, but that didn't seem to be the case. 

"Sir. . The two mobile suits are coming. . We'd better prepare." One of the soldiers said. 

"That's true. . They've already captured one of our Salamis'. . but I'm sure that it'll work before they organize again." The tone of Kei's voice gave some hint about his confidence on the Federation fixing the situation. 

"Sir. Will we survive this one?" The soldier asked. Kei just looked down to the ground. 

"Do you have a family soldier?"

"Why. . Yes. ."

"You've left them and yourself no regrets. Just tell yourself that." Death was inescapable at this point, but the soldier that Kei attempted to console sighted a new found confidence to fight. . And so did Kei.

****

The final stage was set. Cabochon and Lisa with their damaged Zakus with the entire remaining 13th Battalion in tow were about to meet with the final defense line of Guru 10. The captured Federation cruiser hasn't organized yet, so a direct attack was out. Apollo announced that his Zaku was too damaged to operate in gravity-based combat, and the gravity wells for the colony weren't hit considering that would be more of a hurt than a help. 

Once at the final line, the armed soldiers of the 13th Battalion disembarked from the green giants, and fought for their lives. With guns blazing in every direction, several soldiers were brought down among both sides, however, the lack of numbers on the hangar's end drove them to retreat back for cover. As the two Zaku pilots were making their way to the hangar with their weapons blazing to cause visual chaos, a mobile pod appeared from behind the building to Lisa's 6.

"I won't die now! After I've come so far. . I have a life too to live!" Lisa yelled out in her moment of excitement. The mobile pod that challenged her was weakly armed, granted the few collections of spikes and smelters. The mobile pod vaulted forward, as it's frail little form rifted a few feet off the ground. Lisa manipulated her Zaku downward, throwing it into a dive dodging a hit that the mobile pod inflicted on her left leg. A spike was left engorged into the Zaku's left leg as the gears and tubes within failed on themselves. Lisa grunted in frustration as she withdrew her machine-gun, recklessly and aimlessly showered the mobile pod with rounds. The shots pierced right through the non-existent armor of the mobile pod, with it's pilot dying instantly from a shot that would have cut through a human just like that. Getting up with the mobile suit's weak leg, it staggered forward, firing on any mobile pods in the way, taking them down like flies.)

"C'mon men! Don't give up now! This is our home that they trampled through, we won't let them out without a fight!!" Kei said within a pod. He was more concerned about dodging the enemy fire rather than attacking as the situation seemed hopeless. Men that he knew for years were being brought down like amateurs. However, none of them were accustomed of the heat of real battle, alike that of the Zaku pilots. _I'll probably die anyway. . I've already let my wife down, and now my son, but. . If I run away now, I could never face them again. . That is, if the afterlife is really as they say. ._ A stray shot struck a structure near Kei's mobile pod, forcing his mental decision to make a haste.

"None of us will survive, so I might as well try. ." Kei punched the lever at it's maximum thrust, vaulting the mobile pod airborne. It armed it's only useful weapon, the smelter. Even an experience-impaired soldier such as he would have known that a smelter would be disastrous at anything at close range. Even a Zeon Zaku. He dodged the volley of stray shots as he was an experienced pilot that was probably triggered due to the intensity of the moment, or a lapse in his reflexes. A stray bazooka shot whizzed right past the mobile pod, striking dead on with another mobile pod, as it endured the noiseless death of a few streams of fire striking out of the cockpit. Cabochon was inclosing on Kei, firing the bazooka shots at the mobile pod as it evaded each shot with unheard of expertise.

"Damn maggot!" Cabochon screamed as he forced his Zaku forward, chasing down the mobile pod as it continued to dodge Cabochon's shots. The Zaku was much faster than the mobile pod, but Hakiteki persisted. As soon as Hakiteki steered his mobile pod behind a building for cover, he aligned his radio system to a different station than the one he was supposed to be on, possibly to cause interference with the radio. On Cabochon's end, the radar flicked, as the disturbance of Minvosky Particles broadcasted themselves in an irregular fashion, and with the addition of the chaotic battle occurring simultaneously, Cabochon's radar was giving off all the wrong targets. The symptoms were switching target after target, and the crosshair flicked out of place. _No problem. . I'll find you eventually._

The Zaku went at a slow advance around the containers and buildings placed around the battle field. Cabochon turned at every corner to a possibility where the enemy mobile pod might have been, but for the first few tries, that ended up in failure. Kei's hesitation increased dramatically with every step the Zaku took, trying to lure the pilot out of fear due to the superior machine that the enemy had.

_It's now,_ Kei's hesitation increased, as he longed for the moment that would either mark the end for his enemy, or himself in the long run. _Or,_ was another word that rang through his mind. He gripped the levers tightly, and drove his machine into the open. "Never!" He screamed out. Kei made a quick prayer to God, and a farewell to his son as he withdrew from the cover, seeming to make a suicide attack on Cabochon's Zaku.

"There we go. . Now you die you little annoyance, like all those other maggots that have tried to stand in Zeon's way! As Cabochon aimed with the last bazooka shell he had, he aimed carefully at the rapidly incoming mobile pod. As soon as Cabochon had an affirmative lock on, he pulled the trigger. . However, he had committed a fatal error. . The crosshair drifted off, resulting to a complete miss from the mobile pod. As the pod closed in at point blank, it revealed one of it's arms, aiming a small cylinder shaped smelter at the cockpit of the Zaku. 

"Oh. . ****. ." These were Cabochon's last words as the smelter burned through the cockpit at an insane rate. There would probably have been nothing left of the grizzled Zaku pilot as the Zaku fell backwards, colliding onto the ground as the entire giant then went lifeless. . .

"Guys. . I did it. . Finally! My first real kill-" Kei was cut off abruptly as stray fire scorched into the cockpit. Hakiteki saw glass flying around from the formally intact cockpit, as the seating below him started to give away rapidly. . The last things that Hakiteki saw was the picture of his family wedged into a control panel in the cockpit. . Shattered by a machine gun shell as the mobile pod erupted in flames, erasing every trace that the mobile pod had in the battle. . It's a pity, nobody is invincible in war. . Even in it's infant stages. From that moment on, the Zeon forces continued onward through the lines without much opposition. Even one Zaku was enough.

"That's what you get for killing my wing-man, you scum. ." Lisa muttered in her cockpit. Lisa stepped back, and a transmission from Jackson came into view. There, she saw the portrait of Jackson's obscured face due to the limited visibility of the gas-mask he was wearing. 

"Lisa. . Cabochon's signal has ceased. . Did he-"

"Yes, he's dead, but I can't worry about that now. You've taught me better, haven't you General?" Lisa said barley above the tone of a whisper. These words, actually pleased Jackson's ego. 

"I guess I have. ." As little as anybody knew, Jackson kept to himself after the failure of the radio station raid, as he felt that it all was his fault for not being careful enough, and that he fell straight into a Federation trap. . However, Lisa's statement was assurance that he did something right.)

****

"Great. . With all the troubles we're having with the shuttle, we might as well surrender." A voice rang out in some sort of cockpit for a ship. The other pilot seemed calm enough, while the truth was that both of them were nervous.

"It'll fly. . The [ I]_Night Light_ is closing in. Who would have known that Switzer's troops were such cowards. ." The second pilot said. The shuttle was poorly disguised under a sheet, as they could hear the rocking of the battle getting closer and closer behind them, with the addition of how the Salamis that the lone Zaku pilot captured was reorganizing themselves to attack the colony.

"Hey worker! Forget about it, we're taking off now!" The first pilot yelled. The worker tried to rebel. 

"We still have some people out there!" The worker said, and the pilot was left with no other choice but to comply. For what seemed like ages, the remainder of the survivors, or the ones who wanted to live to fight another day boarded the shuttle. By then, the Salamis-class cruiser had already opened it's remaining firepower on the colony. Several shots struck the hangar dead on, while another shot hit the gate leading back into the colony, abruptly cutting off any survivors trying to escape.

"The exit is blocked. ." The second pilot said. Both of them attempted to get the launch procedures correct. 

"We don't have a choice. Launch now!" The engines took a bit to warm up, as the shots strayed more and more closer and direct to the shuttle. Just before the Night Light was in point blank, the shuttle took off, with the amount of G forces binding the pilots to their chairs. To the cargo, Satoru and Margaret were placed among many soldiers of the Federation's sick list, with several female medics attempting to at least give them time to survive until they met their destination. 

The shuttle barely managed to escape the Night Light , as the shuttle crew deemed that the cruiser ceased it's fire, giving them a chance to escape. The legless Zaku didn't even bother to catch them either. From behind, they could witness a majority of the occupant's home, being left back in the distance as an example of the Zeon attack. Many of the occupants were discussing on why the Zeon would do something like this, but then. . "He" came into all transmissions. .

" _I hear by announce this message from all of the people of Zeon. Here, we are at crossroads. We could have settled the dispute boundaries between spacenoids and earthnoids equally. . However, as you know, the Federation gave us no chance, as they oppressed us even further. . . " _Gihren Zabi's voice rang through all channels, striking fear into the ones who had to suffer from his endeavor. From Satoru's point of view, he got up weakly at the sound of the transmission coming through all channels, including radios. He recognized the voice as Admiral Gihren Zabi, the man who was the figure head of Zeon who Satoru also admired. However, the Admiral's next words would change his mind immediately.

" . . . We know that my people, our people will NOT rise for this injustice! We will show all of those people, all of the people who secretly aligned themselves with the Federation, to feel our justice! To feel that the Duchy of Zeon wants independence! The Federation knows of this, as they too, don't care about spacenoid affairs. We will show all of the earthnoids, and the traitorous spacenoids that space, is the true final frontier! Sieg Zeon!! " Gihren yelled off.

"I don't. . believe it. ." Satoru's internal injury started to give away as he coughed up a thick layer of blood as he muttered something of the lines of "that couldn't be my Zeon. . I. . Believed in their ideals. .". He saw the various flashes in the distance from the entire Side 1 cluster, and in the distance of space, several other flashes. The soldiers around him mentioned that this is a simultaneous attack on all of the colonies that did not align with Zeon. Somebody else asked him how he could have known, and he explained that all of those flashes were NBC weapons being used in the most indiscriminate manners. .

With Satoru's image of Zeon shattered. . . He faded to black, as an intensifying pain quickly conquered his frail body as the scattered chatter of medics faded along with him. . There, he could barley see Margaret out of the corner of his eye. She was also mortally wounded, but at least both of her parents counted their blessings on their daughter being alive. Satoru could just feel that his father was did. . He began to fade into the darkness, not because of the injury, but because of the feeling he had on the colony, amplified a thousand times over. He heard thousands of screams in the distance, and his human mind couldn't take it any longer.

Guru 10 was just one of the products of the scar of war. . Sieg Zeon. .

****

To Be Continued.

__

****

Author Notes

[1] Not much on this chapter, but by Mobile Pod, I mean a pre-version of the RB-79 Ball, possibly the most useless "Mobile Armor" ever in the One Year War.

[2] Char Aznable is the Red Comet in the original Mobile Suit Gundam series, who is really the son of Zeon Zum Deikun. He also had a daughter that became Sayla Mass. Sure, the battle hasn't begun, but in my mind, I see Char being talked about a lot before the war as the talented rookie. Char is also talked about to be a freak that can see into the future. Basically, he's a newtype, and newtypes can see into the future, and have amazing reflexes. Char eventually pursuits _White Base_ and his trek to capture or destroy the Gundam, the core mobile suit of the Federation.

__


	3. Act 3: The Eve of Odessa

Act 3: The Eve of Odessa

October 27th, UC 0079

EF Mobile Suit Training Base #365

Belem, Brazil, South America

10:35 A.M.

Training Base #365 was very rugged and wrecked on the outside due to possible physical damage from the environmental hazards spreading. From the tropical areas of the South American region, it was of surprise that there were not even a hint of trees shading the base anywhere in the vicinity. Not even for miles. Instead, the unlucky guards who have been positioned outside for guard duty for either discipline or lack of volunteers, nearly fell victim to their most formidable foe. . The heat. Deforestation emerged it's ugly head back in the Old Timeline from human abuse, cutting down the trees to make their own supplies, and Belem was no exception. To the rear of the base, resided a narrow strip of manmade land to the shores of eastern South America. The bay near the base was naturally used as a harbor, bringing in ships and out. It was natural for the harbor to be congested day after day, considering the main base of the Federation, Jaburo, was deep within the Amazon, but in Brazil regardless.

Along side of the Supply Corps going in and out through the Training Base, no doubt considering it a pit stop for sorts, it also held the seeds of the Federation's victory. The Federation was well on it's way on developing Mobile Suit technology that would rival, and maybe surpass the Zeon Zaku II. It was luck on the Federation's side that the Zaku II didn't progress for the next few months, and they considered themselves lucky again due to the fact that they could keep up with the war by using only Type 61 Tanks for the past few months.

Speaking of Mobile Suits, it was considered that one was raised in a cave or under a rock if any soldier, long time joiner or not, did not know about the infamous "White Devil". "Gundam", was among the first mobile suits that the Federation ever produced, and just by judging from it's specs, it was a monster. The trainees of the base knew Gundam well, and the base it was stored on. White Base. The entire White Base crew were treated as deities within the Federation, but mostly they looked after Gundam. A mobile suit that was armed with a beam rifle, normally used on battleships. It was a pinnacle of mobile suit technology, considering the batteries to use beam weapons would rival at the size of a mobile suit's torso. Every once in awhile, the trainees were shown movies of the Gundam in action, as it tore through impossible odds of up to 30 Zakus, as it's trademark beam rifle destroyed every Zaku in one hit. A pilot like that, simply could not have been human.

"Okay. . You've practically won the pouch. . All you need to do is hit this one, and you win." One voice mentioned. In the lobby, two trainee pilots were playing a game. Not like poker or anything of the sort of trivial gambling, but a very dangerous game that parents would actually proscribe their kids to not endure in. A young, black haired pilot had a butcher knife in his left hand (The hand he wasn't accustomed to), and a pouch of money in his right hand. The game was simple: Two players hand over their money for bets. They take a knife in their hand, opposite from the one who wrote with, and you stab your hand as hard as you can. If you hit the money, you win the round and you pass it to the other player until he or she misses, maims his or her hand, and you win the money. But once somebody has missed, the turn passes to another player for one more strike. If the last player misses the strike, the game starts over and nobody gets the money.

The other pilot seemed to be practicing trials on how he should stab the pouch. He needed to get this accurate, or else he could forget about piloting mobile suits for awhile. Many other people were taken down from piloting because of maimed hands just due to this game. However, it was fairly popular around Base #365 as a fad to relieve the bondage of boredom.

"Hurry up! The Sergeant Major will beat our asses if he sees us doing this. ." The pilot exclaimed, as the other simply bided his time in his motive of concentration. The other pilot ignored the first altogether, as he seemed to have gotten his strike procedure correct. As soon as his hand was up in the air, rifting to claim his victory, a loud male, booming voice roared in the background, which threw his concentration off completely.

"Hakiteki and Rail!" At the entry of the booming voice in the distance, the pilot's knife struck right between his fingernails. He growled in disgust of the current disposition, but regardless, he considered himself lucky that the strike didn't take off his entire finger. The pilot across from him laughed as he gathered his money back up. However, the pilot who was gathering the money got a swift blow to the gut. And so did Haikteki. .

"I told you. . I told you the consequences of playing that damned game. ." The Sergeant seemed to relieve the frustration of being directly disobeyed by kicking the two pilots each in the gut. Every once in awhile, another pilot passed by, and scurried off before the Sergeant got a good look at them. He'd perform his "discipline ceremony" on them too.

"Ay, it was just a scratch. I don't think we're capable of injuring ourselves here. We're just _that_ good." Ensign Rail's disposition was calm, and smooth. His view on life was also something to be desired. Rail had dark blue hair that spiked outward slightly at it's edges. He did not care much about his natural appearance, as his uniform was sloppily presented, given the numerous un-tucked edges at the fault of the care-free pilot. His emerald eyes just glazed forward in a lazy motion, once more pointing to his carelessness.

"And I just found a grave man.." Stone said aside to himself, no doubt about Ensign Rail's actions. Stone glanced to the side to the other pilot beside Rail, who kept silent ever since the Sergeant stormed in on the game taking the risk of injury to it's fullest, mainly that to people foolish enough to get addicted. Stone stood upright, and presented another being that was lurking behind in in a shy manner. 

"Satoru and Senra, this is Amelia Keen of the EFF Space Fleet. She's been piloting jets for God knows how long, and has recently been transferred over to a mobile suit team. She's one of the many mobile suit commanders that have visited this base of sissies. ." Stone still couldn't help to hide an insult in any of his lines, even with female company. 

"H-Hello. ." Satoru stood up along with Senra, both of them attempting to regain their regular breathing. This Amelia seemed to have taken their beatings as jokes so far. Satoru hasn't changed too much drastically. He still had short black hair and blue eyes, but he was a bit older than several months ago when the war started. He could have faked for 18, and he did so, considering he was really 17, but who knew that anyway? His home colony was gone in the Zeon skirmish that was still fresh in the minds of soldiers and civilians alike. People like him, the unfortunate souls who happened to find themselves in the military in that condition were called "Orphan Boys".

"Hello miss. . Make sure to watch your step around here. The pilots are pretty. . Eager." Senra said in a joking manner. Stone buried his face within his hand, as it was Senra's own plan for the woman to either get the joke or to not understand it at all. There were still surprises with the people today. Unlike Satoru, Senra didn't feel at all nervous around the woman. 

"Hm. A joker. . Well, they have the money, and the city isn't too far from here. ." Amelia on the other hand, seemed to be a goddess. She had long red hair that went to her waist. She was among one of the woman who would make you wonder how she could fit all the hair into a confined space such as within her helmet. Her form was sleek, and contained a very good figure. Her brown eyes darted from place to place, studying all of the occupants around among many other of the commanders she knew. Satoru and Senra, with their minds still just fresh out of the clutches of high school, knew that if Amelia were to walk any bit further in the base, she'd be the next "Pin-Up Doll" of the base.

"Wait. . Were are we going?" Satoru asked. 

"Didn't you pay attention to Federation movements through Earth?" Upon Stone's reply, the two pilots shook their head, as Stone just sighed in response. . . "I'm talking about the planned Odessa Day."

"Wait. . Oh. ." Satoru's memory was coming back to him. . Odessa was the most talked about thing. . Or one of them. Satoru folded his arms across his torso, as he tried to recall all sorts of memory about the matter. "You mean that strike in Europe on Zeon's mining facility?"

"Yeah. ."

"So. . What does that have to do with us trainees? We haven't gotten any word that we can actually use Mobile Suits yet."

"Would you give me a minute to explain before you bombard me with these stupid questions?" Stone's voice was stiff, and Satoru just backed down from his quest for knowledge, or to fill the thirst of curiosity. Silence ensured, and the Sergeant began to explain once more. "Thank you. . As I was saying before I was interrupted by you damn girl-" And now, Amelia spoke. Possible to antagonize Stone further.

"Sergeant Major, why do you have to call them girls? Are you saying that woman cannot do as much as men in the military, especially the front lines?" Her voice continued to sound out in a seductive manner, and that probably wasn't even intentional in her tone of slight hostility. Stone just started to chuckle for a moment. After all, wasn't the woman of higher rank than he was?

"Ha, ha, ha. Don't get worked up ma'am. You'll certainly go easier on the boys than I do, and we don't lie on our backs to gain ranks. ." Stone broke out in laughter. From that comment, Amelia just kept quiet, trying to let go of her anger just from that comment. Stone raised his hand up in a jesting manner. "Hey, don't take it seriously, I'm just playing around. As you can see, we don't get too much time off."

"As I was saying," Stone cleared his throat. "A majority of the pilots here will be transferred into Europe for further briefing. Others will be sent to Jaburo for further testing."

"Normally, I would refuse. . But I really hate this base. And the jocks around don't help it one bit." Satoru said. The jocks who he was referring to were just the normal bullies of the base. After all, most of the base inhabitants were former high-school students or just graduated months ago.

"Yeah. . We didn't join the Federation for guard duty. ." Senra also joined in on the argument.

"Shut. Up." The seriousness in Stone's voice was enough to dwindle their chances of ever getting out of the base. Although it seemed kind of odd that a duo of rookies who've never touched a mobile suit outside of a simulator would be eager to rush to the frontlines for one of the most dangerous Zeon attacks in the war aside of space assaults. .

"I've almost beaten the RX-78-2 Gundam in the simulator, and Senra nearly has also. . What different is the simulator from real battle?" Satoru asked.

"A lot. . Just because you almost defeated Gundam in the simulator, does that mean you could do it in real life?" 

"Well. . ."

"Exactly. . That's why I asked command to not let the pilots train in simulators. It diminishes one's sense of reality. It's that kind of stuff that makes the pilots spoiled, then they get killed in combat for taking too many risks. Not to mention, if we gave you pilots the updated records on Gundam, you'll never get out of this base."

"But-" Satoru was abruptly cut off in mid sentence by a hard punch in the gut by the Sergeant Major. He descended to the ground, holding his abdomen area in pain, as the pain just spread throughout his body, overwhelming his mind. He wanted to cry, but that would just make the Sergeant beat up on his some more. So the boy was forced to suck it in, and attempt to overwhelm the excessive force on his own. Amelia just looked in disapproval for such excessive force, but maybe Sergeant was right. Females had too much of a gentle disposition to be effective in the front lines. Satoru kneeled down, as his loss of air nearly phased him through the void of unconsciousness.

_Jeez. . Satoru just doesn't know when to quit sometimes. ._ And that's a pretty ironic statement coming from Senra. 

"I told you, don't back talk to me. Besides, I was going to tell you that you are going to go with the Odessa Forces in 3 days, so that means you didn't have to get that punch in the stomach, but you did anyway. You're free for the rest of the day. ." Stone said as he turned away from the trio of soldiers. 

"Great. . ." Satoru groaned, attempting to lift himself off of the ground. He was having a lot more struggle with regaining his breathing than anybody his age and build. The reason this was so, was because the G3 inhalation damaged his lungs, and no medical treatment for such was issued yet. The doctors told him that when the war is over, treatment could be allowed, and it wasn't that serious since he wasn't a ground soldier, but a mobile suit would serve as his "body". However, he still managed to get through Stone's "ceremonies", so that was determination at it's finest.

"And don't let anybody touch that woman, or it'll be your asses for display." Stone walked off, grinning as he did. His vision to the woman has already been shattered into a million pieces, but Stone considered to himself, perhaps that was the thing the woman needed to become a perfect commander. Or rather that was his vision on it. 

"I guess I can be with you, and follow orders at the same time. What a bargain, don't you say?" Senra said, obviously trying to flirt with the woman. 

_Already, he's trying to get in the woman's pants. ._ Satoru thought that to himself.

"No. . No thanks. I think I can manage on my own. ." Amelia said, obviously shooting down Senra's attempt.

"Are you sure? Do you want to be surrounded by 3 guys even worse than Sergeant Stone back there?" Senra said. Amelia considered it. There, she was one of the only few women in the Base. The base had a majority of males in it. The few females were either already "taken", or they were "free". Amelia considered it to be a rugged system, but that was life in a base like this one. She considered Senra's thought once more. Then she came up with a decision. .

"Fine. . I'll go with you. Unless you're going to pull something. ."

"No! No! I won't do anything of the sort. Isn't that right Satoru?" Senra said, as his head cocked over to his other companion. Satoru's arms remained folded across his chest, and he shook his head in reply. 

"Count me out. ." The boy said in weak reply. 

"What? Why not?"

"I'm going to the medic. . Stone might have broken something. ." And that was his excuse to get out of it, and the fact was, Senra knew it was probably true. 

"You sissy! What if the jocks try and jump me?"

"I wouldn't be much of a help anyway. I'm pretty frail anyway. . It's just by luck I didn't die the first time Stone beat me up. ."

"Ha. That injury. Aren't you one of the sur-"

"I don't want to talk about it. I'll meet you up at lunch time." Satoru walked into the opposite direction, clutching his gut pretty hard. No man could have ever endured 2 hits by Stone, let alone 3. Satoru thought about transferring to another base, many, many times. But the way that the other Federal Officers put it is that Stone is actually more lenient than other Sergeant Majors in the same position. Satoru chuckled to himself when he thought about that one. It was a long and hard road to him, but he just held on for the day that he would be able to pilot a mobile suit. And get Zeon back for what they did to him. . .

"What's his problem?" Amelia asked in an innocent manner. She looked to Satoru who was slowly walking off to a corridor that was foreign to her in the newly presented base. 

"Didn't you see it? Sergeant Stone hit him pretty hard." Senra said in reply, and Amelia just shook her head.

"No, not that. I mean that "I don't want to talk about it" line." Amelia said. Senra just looked to the side, deciding not to explain the situation that Satoru pretty much vaguely explained to him a while ago. 

"Eh. . I'll tell you later. . Or eventually." Amelia sighed, and the matter between the two was dropped completely.

"But isn't he in my unit now? I thought it was customary to get to know the pilots." Amelia asked, and that was yet another opportunity for Senra's jokes.

"Do you want to get to know me?" Senra smiled, attempting to be cute for Amelia. . But once more, the woman shot down his flirtatious ways. 

". . . One pilot at a time, Ensign Rail. My God, do all of you pilots around here have that one thing on their minds?"

"Not really. ." Senra said quickly, automatically contradicting himself. 

"That boy. . His name is Satoru right? And you're Senra?"

"Yeah. . Aren't you going to call me by my rank again like a high-ranking military officer should?"

"No. . There's no need."

"You know. . You're pretty lenient."

"Is it because. . I'm a woman?" Amelia said quietly. .

****

Zeon Southern Boarder Guard

Caucasus Mountains, Russia

1:22 P.M.

The Caucasus had a very harsh climate, tumbling down to the lowest possibilities, even surpassing sub-zero temperatures. The colony drop on Earth several months ago did not help the situation as Earth's climate was drastically changed. There were reports of snow in the middle of summer in some parts of the world. The Caucasus didn't change too drastically, except getting even more colder by the day. The Southern Boarder Guard's sole purpose was to prevent Federal Forces from scouting over Odessa. With the infamous White Base now in European Airspace, and the intensity of Federation forces on the western cost, an attack was most definitely planned.

The Southern Board Guard's "residence" only concluded to a few tents with thick layers. The grounds on the tents were tightly put, even though the winds were not as strong considering a majority of the guards were placed on the base, and mid levels of the mountain range. Among one of the cliffs, there was a defense unit installed: 2 turrets, and 3 missile packs. That was only for a starter if an attack was issued. The other, where the 3 Zaku units, and 1 dark unit that was adjusted to the colors of the environment. The Gouf. When Zeon soldiers thought Gouf, they thought Ramba Ral, a veteran who ended up losing his life after tailing the White Base for so long. The Gouf would be blue, but in this kind of environment, that would give away it's location really quick, even by air forces. The last addition, was a Gaw attack carrier. The Gaw was rigid on it's side, and the metal seemed to be worn. The Gaw also had a layer of moss frozen onto it, as it seen a lot of action, but hasn't been used for months.

"You've heard about the Trojan Horse?" One soldier asked another, beginning a chain of gossip. The environment surrounding them was claustrophobic, considering both of them were sitting in a small tent with a heavy blanket sheeting the cold soil.

"Yeah. . I hear that thing's an omen. . Commander Char, Captain Garma, or even the "Blue Star" Ramba Ral couldn't take that White Devil down. ." The second soldier said. Both of them were dressed in heavy coats, and their hoods almost completely obscured their faces, thus making their voices slightly muffled.

"I hear some other aces are gearing up to fight them."

"Who?"

"The Black Trinary."[1]

"Oh. . Those guys. Well, I guess teamwork can beat the Trojan Horse."

"Yeah. . You saw how they managed to trap that Federation General?"

"Some say that they're psychics too. ." Another man entered the tent. He appeared to be of a high rank, and the duo who were conversing among themselves stood up firm, and gave them a salute

"Good morning General Jackson, sir!" The two soldiers said simultaneously, breaking into a formal salute. Jackson just raised his hand in a sluggish motion, that was slightly held back by the thick coat he was wearing. 

"At ease men. ." Jackson said in a sultry manner. The two men ceased their salute, and sat back down. Jackson seemed to pace a way in the confined space within the tent. He saw machinery scattered around, bags, books among other things. He shoved a bag full of ammunition aside with his foot, and looked at the two men sternly. Back when the year started, Jackson did not get any sort of punishment by his superiors by the early attack on Guru 10. In fact, Gihren was more pleased than disgusted. Please at how frantic the Federation was at that time. Jackson seemed a bit more aged before, especially when the form of fatigue symbolized across his face. He was dressed in a heavy jacket, and a cap with the Zeon sign on it. He was smoking a cigar, and he smothered the smoking end on the lining of the tent, trying to stray out his response.

"We'll be moving from the Southern Boarder Guard to Odessa." 

"Sir, shouldn't we stay here and try to cover any Feddies approaching from the rear?" The first soldier asked.

"No. . Apparently, some people want Odessa pretty badly, and their pulling their resources for an attack." Jackson said, sighing at the distress of the situation. 

"We've practically already mined all the minerals from Earth to make mobile suits, right General? So why should Odessa be of a concern?" The second soldier asked.

"Well. . If they do take Odessa, they could find the military strength necessary to force us off Earth. That wouldn't be good." Jackson replied. 

"They don't even have mobile suits yet. ."

"Gundam might hit mass production. . Anyway, as I was saying, announce to all vital crews that we'll be leaving for Odessa as soon as possible. Pack up all ammunition and weapons, we'll use the Gaw." Jackson said. . The word "Gundam" brought some sort of fear down the hardened General's spine. In fact, there was no man, no reasonable man within the military that did not fear the awesome power of the Gundam. It was like the devil, manifestation in it's purest form. From the results the General heard, the Gundam's power was truly frightening. .

"That old relic?" The first pilot said, speaking of the old Gaw carrier. 

"Yes. . That's our only chance of launching. Dismissed." The two soldiers sat around baffled. . Possibly to the sudden change of plans. However, on the bright side, it was a good shot to get out of the cold weather of the Caucasus. Jackson departed from the tent, just to feel the harsh wind blow right up against his cheek. He had already informed all of the soldiers except one tent of the departure, and already they were hard at work, attempting to ensure emergency repairs to the Gaw. _Now. . I didn't go totally wrong in training them_.

Jackson witnessed the Gaw's engines firing up with a crimson glow. It tore through the cold air, and the gas could be visible like waves in water. After awhile and to Jackson's discontempt, one of the Gaw's engines hit a failure, spurting a few flames before dying off completely. Before he knew it, a team of workers scurried to the engine that failed, and proscribed whatever it took to fix the old carrier. Jackson continued on his way to the last tent he had to go to on the way. He unzipped the tent, and poked his head in.

"Yes sir?" Apollo seemed to have aged himself too. His postier was that of a man in his mid twenties now, and he was dressed in the heavy clothing all of the soldiers on the Southern Guard were required to wear. Apollo didn't seem to have been doing anything, but as Jackson predicted, he either sensed him coming, or heard his footsteps through the light layer of snow on the rock covered surface.)

"We're attempting to repair the Gaw so we can go to Odessa." As usual, Apollo took the announcement on a lighter note. 

"Orders are orders I suppose." 

"Where's Lieutenant Maes?"

"Somewhere. . Probably with somebody. ." Apollo's unusually harsh tone had Jackson immediately wondering. 

"Perhaps. . You two broke up already?"

"We were never together. ." Apollo replied. His harsh tone was now directed towards Jackson.

"Hah. Are you still mad at me for demoting you in the Battle of Canavel? You deserved it. You were overly reckless that mission and nearly killed us all." Jackson said, Apollo just sneered. 

"You're still alive aren't you?"

"I am. . But most of our Battalion is gone. Look, I'm not in the mood to put up with your bull****, Apollo. You are to load your Zaku into the cargo hold of the Zaku, and that's all, okay? " It was a tense edge for Jackson, and Apollo it seemed.

"Whatever. ." Apollo replied, gathering his equipment. Jackson was about to take his leave, until he muttered something under his breath.

"Just because you can't keep a relationship, doesn't mean you have to take it out on me." 

"Maybe you deserved it."

****

"There's no problem or broken bones. The pain will probably go away if you sleep on it." Said a brunette that was dressed in all white, with a hat on top of her head. The hat was clearly inscribed with a red cross, thus signifying her occupation as a nurse. Satoru was on top of the structure that doctors usually had their patients upon with his shirt rolled up. 

"Thank you." Satoru rolled his white t-shirt back on before putting on the Federation vest that the trainees were supposed to wear. The medic, wasn't too attractive as she was old, but regardless, that wasn't a worry on Satoru's mind. He was bent to do exactly what the medic said; sleep on it. Maybe then the pain will go away if he doesn't feel it within his sleep as well. Satoru stepped out of the medic room as he disembarked on a trek through the hallway. He skipped lunch because he wasn't hungry. Or that's what he's been telling himself over and over again. The truth was because he thought that Senra and Amelia should get acquainted. He didn't care much about meetings, considering all he cared about was taking Zeon on by himself. Then Stone's statement played through his head. Or rather, tore through his current stream of thoughts.

_"Just because you almost defeated Gundam in the simulator, does that mean you could do it in real life?_

Exactly. . That's why I asked command to not let the pilots train in simulators. It diminishes one's sense of reality. It's that kind of stuff that makes the pilots spoiled, then they get killed in combat for taking too many risks."

_I would be a danger to anybody around me,_ Satoru thought to himself. He was remembering something that happened many months ago. . The incident that forced him into the Federation to begin with. . However, he didn't want to accept it. Not at this time, he just wanted to forget.

_So what if I'm different that everybody else. . That doesn't mean I'm invalid. . I'm sure that incident will not happen again. ._ Along Satoru's trek, he wasn't watching where he was going, and he ended up bumping into something that was large, and warm. He looked upwards, and he saw a trio of overly muscular men, who was much taller than he was. . These were assuredly one of the pilot jocks that he knew. They strive to bulling the less unfortunate trainees of the base, and by "unfortunate", it means "better".

"Hey, hey. It's the little weasel. ." Said the smallest man, who was still a titan compared to Satoru. 

"Go away Flocker. . I don't feel like messing with you right now." Satoru said this to the tallest, most muscular man. Satoru tried to get past, but the other two took the sides of the bigger jock, Flocker. He could run the other way, but what's the use. They would chase him down and beat him up. Although a beating was inevitable at this point, as Flocker seemed to be in a bad mood. So Satoru had his time by instigating it in a mockingly manner. "What's wrong Flocker? You usually don't pick on me until after dinner where the Sergeant Major is out. Why are you here now?"

"Just working out my own frustration. . Matters that don't concern you." Flocker said, mashing his knuckles. Flocker was an extremely muscular man with short blonde hair, wearing the usual garb. Some would say he was the definition of hardened military drill-sergeants. He joined the military some time after high school, and was an invaluable asset to ground combat. The factor that needed work was his attitude, as even in the base, he still bullied the other, smaller pilots. Naturally, this caused trouble with Stone because threatening pilots was supposed to be _his_ job.

"What now?" Satoru asked, attempting to get out of the fight. 

"None of your business. . Besides some broad turning me down among other things, I need my punching bag to bring down my temper." Flocker said. 

"Oh really? Well Flocker, you have your reputation to lose if you fight me, I-"

"I don't, I could win and beat you". Is that what you were going to say?"

"Er. . Well. ." Satoru took this opportunity to run straight in the opposite direction. However, for what seemed just like a few nanoseconds, he was already caught. One of the boys got him by the collar and end of his vest that he didn't button up. They pulled Satoru back by it, and Flocker slammed his fist into the backside of Satoru's head. In response, the boy fell forward, nearly collapsing on the ground. However, he wouldn't have gone down that easily, as he tried to fight back against Flocker, but every punch he made, didn't do much.

"You know, this is just like school. . Except I don't get suspensions. . And you know what's funny about me picking on a guy like you?" Satoru's streamline of attacks were put to a painstaking halt as Flocker's massive leg collided with his abdomen. This forced all of the salvia in Satoru's mouth outwards along with all the air he was breathing. The impact of the kick was even worse than Stone's punches. Satoru crept on the ground, trying to accumulate enough needed oxygen to provide himself the energy to sprint off once more without the hindrance of the lingering kick. "You're just a worthless little orphan with no family, and not one person will mourn your death. Weaklings like you don't even belong in the military. ."

And so, the well known ceremony began. A public beating by Flocker and his two cronies. It seemed like eons before they slightly let up on beating Satoru to a near death state. Then they just started kicking him on the ground endlessly. After awhile, the heavily beaten boy was lifted up, and slammed into a wall with excessive force. His bones ached from the beating, but he considered something on the good side; at least the medic was down the hall.

"Don't worry. . After I become a pilot, you won't be beaten up this badly anymore. ."

"Do what you want. . If that'll make you feel any better." Satoru's attitude still surfaced, even after being beaten to a near death state. However, that one comment granted Satoru an extra hard leg in his gut. After being thrown off the ground, Flocker saw something he shouldn't have, but could have blackmailed. Satoru shedding a tear. . .

"O-o-o-o-h. . The little boy is crying. Lets really give him something to cry about." Flocker kicked Satoru in the face, hard. It could be considered a silent "victory" when footsteps were heard down the hall. Not one of the occupants could hear it, because Flocker was too busy grinding his heel into Satoru's head, and then slammed his boot into his face. The force rocked Satoru back onto the wall, as his face was border lining crimson. However, the laughter ceased when Satoru stood up, breathing heavily. His motions were sluggish, and his hand caught his head. His breathing was deep, and then Satoru looked up to Flocker. 

"What the hell?" Flocker said to himself. Satoru was breathing heavily, as there was some odd gaze in his eyes. . He was about to take a step forward, and Flocker was about to try his attack once more. Satoru started to laugh when an outside force stepped into the equation. .

_What the hell? Thank God I'm in time before **** really starts to go down!_ Sergeant Major Leon Stone. . Satoru could hear scattered expressions. Along the line of Flocker saying "Well he started it!" and Stone mentioning hundreds of variations of "Are you messed up in the head or something? You're a pathetic excuse for a human being". However, there was something that Satoru heard that made him overly happy. He has been picked on ever since he'd been stationed at the base. He never liked Stone, and he certainly never liked the jocks. Even though Flocker and his cronies were the only jocks who ever gave him the time of day, let alone one of these infamous "ceremonies". 

The fixation all started when Satoru talked to a girl named Alice. Satoru really just asked her what time it was, and Flocker blew it to a whole different level. He warned him to not try anything on his girl, so Satoru complied. He didn't touch Alice. However, just to undermine Flocker's authority, Alice started to flirt with him. After awhile, Flocker caught Alice kissing Satoru and that was the very first time he preformed the usual beating. And the first time Stone had to use excessive violence to keep his students in line. Something that Stone's usually accustomed to months after it first happened. Other than that, Flocker dubbed Satoru as his "punching-bag", and beat on him whether if it was piloting better than he did in a simulator, scoring higher on a test, getting some form of approval from his superiors, or if he just crossed the same hallway as he did. At last, all of that would be over, even though it was just mere days before he was transferred to the battlefield for the first time, this assured him that Flocker had no chances of surpassing him.

"You three, pack your bags. Get the hell out of my sight." But on second thought. . Satoru didn't seem like justice was in order. In fact, he started to feel kind of bad for Flocker, and the cronies whom the only people who knew their name was other jocks or Stone. Now, they had no hope of becoming the pilots they wanted to be. Just because Satoru didn't fight back. Or was it the fact that Satoru wanted to instigate Flocker to get him kicked out either way, to prolong the fight until somebody came along. But something that Satoru thought was, why would he try now? Right when he was about to leave to another part of the world? Satisfaction? Or maybe it wasn't even intentional. 

"No, no sir. . I won't beat him up again, just please let me go back to my room." Flocker tried to bargain with Stone, and his cronies just watched. 

"I don't care. . You're out of here. Besides, you didn't have any potential anyway. I just kept you because I hoped I could discipline you instead of sending you out. Didn't it seem odd that you didn't receive a commander? You weren't going into battle in the first place. ." Stone said. From this, Flocker remained silent. He already knew where this conversation was leading. "Just because you think you're all that, doesn't mean you really are. Join another base, I don't give a damn. Just get the **** out of my base, and my sight."

Flocker and his cronies said nothing. They gave Satoru a dangerous glare, right when they caught him smiling on the ground. If Stone wouldn't have taken him down there, he would have gone to beat the smirk right out of the boy's face. However, his feelings prevented him to do so. His spirits were smashed, so there wasn't much left. Stone didn't even care how they got out of the base's enrollment, just as long as they did so. Flocker turned, and walked the opposite direction. The remainder of his spirits would have been stomped on with an iron boot from Stone's next line.

"You bastards. . Walk faster!" Stone yelled into the distance, and that was the last thing anybody would have seen of Flocker. As soon as he was sure that the jocks were out of his sight, Stone turned towards Satoru, who hadn't made an effort to get up. "Now. . For the boy. ."

Stone approached Satoru, as he picked up the boy with Satoru's arm slung over Stone's shoulder, dragging him the way to the medical room. Satoru's smirk disappeared, and Stone spoke.

"You know as good as I do that you being in a fight would be hazardous. ."

"For whom?" Satoru asked. Back at the fight, something took over his mind when his temper skyrocketed. . And Satoru knew why. . And so did Stone.

"Hazardous for Flocker. ."

****

"That's sad. . He got kicked out. . And Stone said all that stuff." Amelia said, who was in the medic room. While the nurse was giving all the measures that Satoru needed, this was Amelia's chance to start a conversation with him.

"Yes."

"Did he seem saddened any?"

"Yep."

"Do you really care about it?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean? I mean, he got kicked out from a place he called a home, plus the Sergeant treated him like dirt."

"I don't care what happens to that guy. He can rot in hell for all I care. I had to put up with over 5 months of beatings everyday from that guy just because "I was there". Is that really a kind person to you?" Satoru demanded. Amelia was just silent, as Satoru looked down to the floor and began to speak again. "But yet. . I still have sympathy for him. At least as a human being." Satoru looked out of the window, at the sky that was stained with the silence of night. Time passes fast when you're injured.

"I'm. . I'm sorry."

"No. . It's not your fault, you just asked. I'm just saying that if it were me who beat him to a bloody pulp, I would be considered the bad guy. When this guy does so, people feel sorry for him. . But yet, the guy who got tortured has to feel sorry for the slave-driver as well. ." Bad analogy, but Amelia got Satoru's point.

"I agree with Satoru. On the first part that is. . Flocker and his band were nothing but trouble from the beginning. They would be awful examples to other soldiers, and he probably wouldn't have lasted anyway."

"I suppose. ." The silence resumed as soon as the female medic finished her work. She eyed Amelia curiously, wondering to herself why would a woman be in the mobile suit corps. . She medic forgot about that as she issued Satoru's condition.

"Well. . Some of your right ribs are broken, and your left leg is sprained." The nurse said. For some reason, Satoru was relived.

"Well, that's all I guess. How long will it take?"

"Well. . With the treatments, I'd say around a week to a month. The sprain will take at least a week to two weeks."

"I see. . . Well, at least my arms aren't broken, so I can still pilot a mobile suit."

"I'm not so sure. ."

"Why do you say that?"

"Sergeant Stone said that you are relieved of all duty from live mobile suit training." And there, was the cheap blow. The blow that Satoru ensured on Flocker, that came back and hit him in the face. Amelia and mostly Senra were occupied in silence, but Satoru lost something that that one line.

"W-why?" Satoru asked, but then, the boy was silent. . "I know exactly why. ."

"All I know is that you'll be kept here until the war is over. Then you might be able to pilot a mobile suit. Maybe." The medic said. 

There it was. His victory, shattered along with his hopes of being a pilot. Being a pilot was more than anything he's ever dreamed off. And that bastard Stone just takes it all away, even when he was a few days from departure. He would be replaced in Odessa. His chances of becoming a good pilot were thrown into the dead wind. Flocker's victory had ensured after all. . .

****

Two days later. .

News of the intercession with Flocker spread around the entire base like a plague of locusts preying their town of victims. Satoru was called many things after that day. Most of the lower class of the trainees considered him a legend for letting the big jock get himself expelled from the base. Most of the other jocks considered him a coward, but wasn't going to try jumping the boy over it, since the jocks could care less at this point, granted if they even knew who Satoru was. There were several things spread among the "social system" of the base, like some rumors that could be flanked as unrealistic already, like Satoru killed Flocker and hid the body. That one was probably suspense of the mood of mystery.

This though, was the eve of the day when the trainees would be leaving. From all hours of the night, the base was filled with commotion, as Medea-class transports littered the heliport, transporting their massive crates as a refill of rations, food, and other things. Nothing much happened on that night, and the day passed quickly. The pilots who were fortunate enough to get away from the accursed base celebrated in a slight party in the morning in the lobby. There were people who were drunk, and some who were just sober during it. Sergeant Stone did nothing to prevent this, as to his preference, it's another band of losers he doesn't have to father.

To those who didn't. . well, the ones who wasn't concerned about the war found this a blessing, since now, they could return to their families and make up lies about them being avowed war heroes. To those who tried their best to validate their existence to the world, seemed to find their life almost meaningless at this point. There was a rumor of a case of suicide within the base because he didn't get chosen to go into battle. A name wasn't released, but there is enough evidence to prove that this actually did happen. Satoru on one hand, also felt that his life would end up like many other people who failed. . Like Flocker.

"It's not that bad. . Stone said that if you're on good behavior, he might let you go." Senra said, fully dressed in his piloting uniform. However, some things wouldn't change, as he appeared pretty sloppy. It was in the morning, and Satoru was still slightly dressed, and still depressed. 

"You don't understand Senra. . I've worked hard all these months, for nothing."

"Well, isn't this your home?"

"This dump? Ha! I don't even have a home to go to anymore. I'd be lucky if I had a relative alive, or. ." Satoru trailed off in his sentence. In Satoru's dorm, it was pretty dark. He shared the same room as Senra, which made it very vacant at this point. Near the electronic door, a black bag was stuffed to the brim with clothes and other possessions. Senra was wearing the Federation uniform he received the day before. Senra was sitting on a chair next to the bunk bed that they shared. Senra's eyes darted out of the window, as there was something of interest out there. There really wasn't, just a trio of sent off pilots who were celebrating, as a collaboration of friends. . Something that either of them could not share at this point.

"I'm sorry. . But if another incident like that happened here. ."

"Yeah. . I know. . After all, I owe you for my life in the first place. I'd probably be in the chamber right now." Satoru said.

"That's true. ."

"But I doubt that would have any effect on my piloting ability. Besides. . I still have a score to settle." A long period of silence ensured after that part. . Satoru, had never had any friends since the Guru 10 incident. Since then, he has had a vendetta against the Zeon, since he'd probably never see the people who destroyed his colony. . But, he wasn't sure how it happened, but since the month of February when he first joined, Senra was also the "Dumber" to the two who usually paralleled "Dumb and Dumber". Or perhaps it was the other way around. . Anyway, the two had a blast at the base. Sure, there were a few complications, but none were as big as this one before them. Satoru's response seemed to hint any vendetta at anyone at all at this point, given his impulsive nature. . "Senra. . Thanks."

"No problem, what are friends for?" The conversation went to a finish the moment that Amelia came in. She was dressed in her Federation uniform in black stockings. Her sleek figure was enough to attack any male soldier, and it did, as the few moments she was in the doorway, several passerby's had the dire urge to scope the woman out. People called Senra lucky to have a female commander who wasn't unnecessarily evil in heart just to prove a point or rely on multiple excuses, or just didn't flirt around with all the people of the base.

"Senra. .?" Amelia stepped into the dorm room, immediately bumping into a shelf due to the low visibility in the room. . "Turn on some of the lights," Amelia's rhetorical request was granted as Satoru reached over to the table, turning on the light that grimaced off of Amelia's face, showing some light streams of make-up among other face-care products. Her hair was tied up so it wouldn't be so loose, as the ponytail dropped slightly beneath her neck. "Satoru. . I didn't know that you were here. ."

"Eh. Don't worry about it. I won't be any trouble for you."

"Did you tried talking to him?"

"No. . What do you think? Of course I tried talking to him. ."

"Sorry. . I shouldn't have asked."

"Hey, don't take it out on her, she was just trying to be nice." But then again. . That was something Satoru hated about Senra. His tendency to suck up to the superiors, especially the female ones.

"I'm sorry. I'm just. ." Amelia broke Satoru's sentence. 

"I know what you mean. Don't worry about it, I know everybody is like that every once in awhile."

"But not you. ."

"I wouldn't be so sure. ."

"I know I won't be so sure now."

"Anyway. . Senra, you know it's 10:30. The Medea that we're scheduled on is to depart in around 45 minutes."

"Okay. I guess we should go now. ." Senra turned off the light as Satoru attempted to go back to sleep. He heard Amelia say something, but it was inaudible. The electronic door slid open, and he heard footsteps go out, which must have been Amelia's. Senra was getting his book bag until something. . Something came across Satoru's mind.

"Senra!" Satoru called out to Senra, and both Senra and Amelia stopped in the doorway.

"Yeah?" Senra replied.

"What Medea are you going to be on?"

"Um. . Number 2, it's called Free Bird . Why do you ask?"

"No reason. Have fun in the military."

"I will, for your sake. ." Senra replied, and then the door slid shut as Satoru sat up in bed. He looked out of the window, and once again, saw the partying pilots out there, biding their time in the most obscure methods as possible. Satoru picked up the lamp that was available to him, and looked at it as he was studying something on it. Several thoughts betrayed themselves into the captivities of his mind. Mostly things that Sergeant Stone said to him over the months that he's been here. Training at his best, and the Sergeant still put him down. No matter how good he did. In fact, if you did well, that deserved even more verbal criticism. However. . Something occurred to Satoru. Some sort of prelude. . _He may think I'm still unstable, but now. . I don't agree with him._

"Perhaps. . That is what he was trying to teach me. . Maybe that's why he said that. ." Satoru seemed to have some sort of new found hope, as he quickly got out of bed, and started to gather his belongings. He came across a pill case that said the medicinal prescription on it, but it said in bold letters "**PW-SUPRESSOR**". He was going to get on the ship, no matter what risk it took. . He would see his friend again, no matter what. And he would get the Zeon back, even if it costs him his life. After all, Zeon was the one military force that a person like him could not forgive. .

"If it wasn't for you, Zeon, I wouldn't even be in this mess. . I could be a normal kid, but instead," Satoru looked down to the PW-SUPRESSOR pill-case. "I'm just a freak. ."

****

To Be Continued.

****

Author's Notes

[1] Black Trinary - Okay. The Black Trinary (Or Black Tri-Starts for the dub version) where the 3-team Zeon pilots who used the Dom mobile suit in the Mobile Suit Gundam TV series, and is famous for their team effort technique, the "Jetstream Attack". They get an honorable mention because they have been in the One Year War since the early stages, and even captured a Federation General with the Jetstream Attack. Just with Zakus at that. 

****


	4. Act 4: The Eve of Odessa Part II

Act 4: The Eve of Odessa Part II

"You know. . This might actually work." Cutting to around a half an hour or so later, Satoru Hakiteki's dorm was even more vacant than before. All of Satoru's possessions were know cramped into a black suitcase that he usually kept under his bed, considering it consisted of clothing given to him and possessions that he bought when the war began on the cheap. The suitcase was stuffed to near-maximum capacity, as the only thing remaining in the dorm were the sheets, the shelves, and a lamp that laid on the edge of the bottom mattress of the bunk bed. Hidden under the lamp if anybody wanted to brownnose around, was a note, hand written by Satoru. It read. .

__

Dear Sergeant Major Stone, I am sorry, but because of personal reasons, I simply cannot cope with your decision on letting me stay on the base. You see, I've worked so long for this, and so hard. The Zeon took my home, and I want to fight, to make sure they don't take anybody else's home or family away from them like they have from me. It may seem odd to rush out to get myself killed, but. . I feel like, this is what I was meant to do. And if possible, I'll go by force. I want to stay with my friends, and not get cooped up here were there's already a bandwagon against me for getting Flocker out. You may disagree, but I believe some decisions simply must be broken from authority, because in these situations, I'd never know if I was right, or if I was wrong. Besides, Senra is leaving, and Alice was already transferred out of here a week ago, so there isn't much left for me here. I've already completed my training, so why should I stay for re-training? You may say it's for discipline, and it probably is. . But, something's drawing me out to the battlefield. A feeling, a sense I cannot put to words. . Anyway, why are you caring? For you, it's just one less student out of your hair. Also, I never thought I say it, but I think your methods were right in the long run. . 

Except this one. . . I'll show you that the treatment worked out in the long run. .

Sincerely, 

Ensign Satoru Hakiteki

P.S. If you do read this, there's a picture of one cute commander who came by in March who I managed to get a picture out of. I think her name was. . Matilda. Give it to the other guys if you want as a parting gift. 

_Boys, will be boys I suppose. It feels like I'm back in high school. . ._ The boy with new found reverence to his once hated superior and identified confidence, shuffled his bag over his left shoulder, and took a good look at the dorm he spent so much time it. He was so accustomed to it, he could call this his personal room, despite the company usually occupied in it. Like guys or girls that Senra brings over. When the electronic door slid open, he peeked his head out, to make sure that nobody important sighted him.

_I really hope this base doesn't get hit if an attack was issued. ._With one deep breath, he was off. He wasn't running, but he was walking fast. Not fast enough to make people notice him. His movement was a bit sluggish, considering his injuries just days back, however they didn't hurt nearly as much. All he was going to do is get to the heliport on the top of the base, and hide in a cargo hold for the Medea that he knew Commander Amelia and Senra would be on. Number 2. _Free Bird . _He _could_ ask people where it was, but it would be better if he didn't. Besides, it was supposed to be a pure stealth mission. The boy peered around corners, to not get into sight of those cursed drill instructors or any jocks looking for some heads to roll. _This place gets so much bigger when I'm actually trying to get somewhere. _.

For what seemed like continental drifts, the boy wandered around the base, attempting any movement to get to the heliport. Even though it was only 5 minutes, it seemed like the longest 5 minutes ever. At last, he found an elevator. One that he's never been to before. He found several supply corp. Federal soldiers going into the elevator heading upward, so he took a chance, and boarded the elevator, surrounded by all sorts of people he has never even seen in his life. In one, claustrophobic space. 

"Hey. ." One of the soldiers called out. Satoru didn't reply, because he was automatically trailing the assumption that the soldier wasn't talking to him, as there was no reason to. "Hey kid?" The second questioned was asked, and Satoru looked towards the source of the cry, but then neglected it altogether. The soldier nudged Satoru with his elbow, awakening the boy from any sort of drought of worries he was mentally drowning himself in.

"Uh. . Huh?" Satoru looked behind him, ripped apart from his mental cove to see the sight of a soldier, or worker, he couldn't identify the foreign outfit. All he could see was the soldier's currently growing beard. 

"Are you one of the pilots getting shipped out of here?" The soldier asked. Satoru's answer came upon instinct, not even taking a moment to consider the answer. 

"Uh huh." The answer was weak, and barely audible.

"Well, you're wearing the wrong uniform. Did your commander have to drag you out of bed?" The soldier asked. A new found rush filled Satoru's sub consciousness. He recalled that Senra was wearing a different uniform than the ones trainees were given, but now, people could pick out that he wasn't _supposed_ to be on a Medea in the first place. The plan started to shatter upon itself, but Satoru picked up the remaining hope of it, and grudged onward.

"Oh. . They didn't send my uniform yet." Satoru said nervously. By the soldier's satisfied expression, he must have bought the excuse. 

"Oh. Well, the delivery service is really sloppy. Take it from me kid." The elevator stopped to an immediate halt. All of the supply corp. members emptied out of the elevator in a pack, so Satoru just kind of, followed behind them, hoping they would lead him to where he needed to go. After a bit of walking, he saw a cargo conveyor belt, just like they had at the old civilian airports. He looked upwards, and he saw a few golden wings shielding the sunlight. That must have been where the Medea's were. So the boy took a hasted scout around the surrounding area, surveying each area with great detail so he could find out where he needed to go. There were 10 lifts, that said 1 through 10 on them in big, white numbers. That must have been where he needed to go. Satoru was about to step onto lift number 2, until some, ominous hand greeted him upon his shoulder. The hand seemed pretty manlike. He turned around, and there, symbolized everything he tried to get away from. .

"Sergeant. . Stone. ." Fear seemed to cover his entire body. He was slow at reacting to hide his bag, but Stone had already seen it. Instead of another physical treatment, Stone smirked. Seemingly mocking the boy.

"Ha! It seems like the little girl has to turn into a little woman at some point." Stone's attitude remained the same, even with the apparent physical fatigue weighing the man down. "What are you doing with that bag? Are you keeping your panties in that one?"

"Er. . Sergeant. . I was. ." Satoru couldn't deliver a straight answer to the Drill Sergeant, considering that the Sergeant wasn't even factored into the equation, and the boy needed to find some way around him. 

"I'm no fool. I know _exactly_ what you were attempting to do. But the question is, do you have the guts to do it."

"Why do you always have to talk down on me?"

"Because you clearly deserved it. You needed discipline, so I didn't let you go. You try to undermine my authority, and you are already acting like a wuss, about to piss your pants."

"I'm not going to take your **** any more, Stone. ." Pure serenity was absolutely absent from Satoru's speech. As the Sergeant could see the boy's already frail and miniscule muscles tensing up, he just had to laugh at the sight of the weakling attempting to stand up for himself. 

"Ha. You think you can make it in the military like that? You certainly can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?" As Stone said this, Satoru dropped no additional comment. "I knew that would have you silent. I mean, you simply laid down to Flocker like you were his *****, it's going to be no different in the military. Except you might actually get somewhere there." The anger seemed to swell in the boy. Exactly what Stone wanted. "That's right. If you can't stand up to me, you certainly will die to the Zeon on your first run."

That comment however, struck Satoru's soul. 

"Oh yeah. You'll die, you'll just be another number to them. Is that really what you want? Come on. Walk the Walk like you _claim_ you can do. Lets see if you can back up your smart ass mouth." That was exactly what Stone has been trying to do for the longest. To get the people he fathered to face their fears head on. If they had fears on the battlefield, they would die just like that, and forgotten almost as fast as they would die. The anger was rushing through Satoru's blood, as this was something he wanted to do for the longest. Sure, he probably didn't stand a chance against Flocker, but he didn't show Stone in some way that he meant to be a pilot, he could never live this down. And he'd just see visions of Stone for all his life. Laughing at him for being such a coward. .

"No. . I. . _I won't have it!! " _The words slipped out of Satoru's mouth as he slid his right foot forward, providing it as a ground. The suitcase he carried was heavy, but would be enough. He lifted the suitcase by the handle, and swung it in one, graceful, fluid motion. The blunt end of the suitcase impacted on Stone's face in a very harsh manner. The momentum was so overwhelming, Satoru nearly lost his footing. Some people looked, but a majority of the others didn't care. He wasn't going to exchange any words against Stone, but instead, he ran from the fallen lumbering giant to the lift. He pressed the up button, and the lift forced it's way up. The last thing that Satoru saw of Stone was him lying on the ground with blood slightly coming out of where one of the metal junctions that held one of the wheels of the suitcase scarred across his face. However, the weirdest thing he saw was Stone, smiling at him. In a proud sort of way.

"I. . I actually beat Stone. ." That was the last thing Satoru _ever_ wanted to see from the base. He made a sprint towards the _ Free Bird _ Medea. Thankfully, Senra or Commander Amelia weren't around to witness this, as his suitcase made a lot of racket wheeling on the jagged surface of the heliport. He ran up the large ramp of the loading bay of the Medea past workers, past carts, and past crates. He took cover behind a crate, and scouted around. He didn't see Senra or Amelia anywhere, as they must have been inside of the plane itself. He heard an overhead announcement, which triggered the crew workers to work even faster.

"This is a vital announcement. Medea crafts 1 through 4 will launch in 4 minutes to their designated rendezvous areas. All pilots who are not on their crafts by then, will be left behind." The PA Announced. Running out of time, Satoru opened a crate full of luggage. He pulled some of the luggage out and sat it behind the crate. After throwing his own suitcase into it, he too got into it. And with a bit of work, he managed to close the crate from the inside. He could see just only little parts with the air holes that were manually made. For what seemed like ages, the main cargo bay door started to close as crew members scattered off of it. 

"I'm going to have to find a way to get closer to them. ." Satoru peaked out of the air hole to the surroundings outside of the crate. From what he sighted, there were a few workers. . However, something caught his eye. He saw a normal worker get through a door in the far end of the hangar, and an idea came to his mind. .

"Maybe. . If I can just draw one of them closer. ." Then the game that tested patience began. Satoru needed a worker to be alone for his plan to take effect. . Satoru Hakiteki couldn't get into places beyond the hangars, but maybe a normal worker could. .

****

"You know. . It's unfortunate that you had to leave without your friend." This line emitted from Amelia, whom was looking out of the window in the surrounding room. 

"I suppose so, but he will surely take care of himself pretty well. Better than I would think." Senra replied. Senra and Amelia were sitting somewhere in the Medea that was separate from the rest of the plane. It had a single bed just incase somebody wanted to sleep, a table in the center that was set up in a real sophisticated fashion, and a couch on the other end; complete with a view of the skies. Sleeping would seem nauseating at such altitude, so Senra and Amelia sat across from each other at the table, eating their lunch that was pretty well prepared.

"And this stuff tastes pretty disgusting. ." Senra said, confirming that the quality of the food was still on Coach status: Some refrigerated chicken and strawberries. The two ate their food, considering they had no other choice but to do so. Also, Senra did not seem as nervous as he was when he boarded the ship along with Amelia. She too, wasn't shaken up about this. She told Senra that she is accustomed to moving around so much, and it doesn't bother her. It bothers Senra because he's been in the base for so long. However, Senra was praising the fact that there was no Sergeant Stone leaping behind his back, punishing him for everything he did or did not do.

"It's all we have to eat, so we better take it as it's given." Instead, he was alone with a beautiful woman who he could not get with. Amelia was probably to head strong about that, but all of Senra's flirting attempts failed in flying colors, so he took that as a hint to resign from the neighborhood flirt. Amelia's eyes just darted around the room, looking at some paintings of historical landmarks posted up around the room, and then back to her food, taking a bite every 2 minutes.

"Will there be a third pilot to join us?" Senra asked, retiring from his food for the conversation. 

"Yes, there is. He's not from your base though." Amelia said, and then took another bite from a random strawberry in the pile. 

Senra looked up to the woman in a curious manner. "Really? Who is it?"

"His name is Avery. I met him a couple weeks ago, and he seems to be a nice guy. You'll like him," Amelia said. "But the thing is. . I haven't seen him yet, and he's supposed to be on this Medea."

"After we land, what sort of battleship will we be stationed on?"

"It's called the _Bulldog_, a Earth-bound cruiser of the Big Tray class. I hear the people there are pretty nice, and it's one of the units that will carry out mobile suit operations instead of tank duty." Amelia said. Senra seemed curious on the methods of using mobile suits for combat. Senra was fairly able to remember mention of the Big Tray, that was deployed as early in the year as the second Zeon drop operation in March. Big Tray is an older model, but highly effective. It was supposed to be a massive carrier used for Earth-based trials, as it's fire power rivals that of a airborne battleship.

"Aw. . Man." Senra said this with a tone of disappointment. . He raised his hands in the air, and then let them drop in his lap, as a loud slap ensued. Amelia looked up, and raised an eyebrow up.

"What's wrong?" She asked. Before Senra responded, he let out a deep sigh.

"Well, I was expecting something special. . Like White Base." Now it was Amelia's turn to sigh. 

"We're just grunts, Ensign R-, Senra. We're not heroes."

"Well. . I just thought-"

"Don't go trying to be a hero out there either. . I've lost too many soldiers in the war who tried to be heroes. That's probably why Satoru was left behind. Don't make me regret you being here too because you're just overconfident." Amelia said this firmly, as if she had the actual experience to lecture Senra on the matter. 

"Oh ho! I won't. I can't let you distrust me when we just met a few days ago." Even then, Senra tried to take the reply in a jesting manner. Amelia exhaled, and leaned back in her seat, attempting to relax on the ride.

"Thanks. Just don't get killed in the battlefield."

****

"Hey. . Did you know that the Federation plans to use mobile suits in this operation?" Two soldiers were conversing, trying to waste their only savored moment of relief. 

"Oh yeah. . Isn't _Free bird 2_ transporting a new Gundam module?" The second soldier said. He took off his helmet, that was completely filled with sweat. Both of the soldiers put their armaments down on the floor, working out their arm muscles that are now free from the weight.

"I never heard of that one. . Where's it going?" The first soldier asked.

"They say Africa. After Odessa, countermeasures in Africa, North America, and Australia [1] are planned to begin." The second soldier answered.

"Is it going to White Base?"

"Strangely no. I'm pretty sure another suit is ready for it. The G-4 [2] if I'm not mistaken."

"How do you know all of this stuff?" The first soldier asked curiously. The second just started to laugh.

"You'd be surprised what the superiors say around us nameless grunts." Both of the soldiers started to laugh out loud. Behind them, another presence entered the verbal fray. From the garb he was wearing, it signifies that it was another mobile suit pilot. In the crate that Satoru concealed himself within, the boy peered out. He first thought it was Senra. . But taking a closer look, the man's physical features were fairly different. The pilot had short black hair, and a wizened mustache. His main look appeared to be some style out of the Wild West, given the holstered Revolver at his waist, that was much outdated by the normal weapons today. 

"Good afternoon, Avery." Both of the soldiers found themselves saying simultaneously. Avery just put a hand up in a jesting manner.

"Good afternoon to ya' both." Avery said, smirking. "What were you two talking about?"

"Just the rumors about the new Gundam ." The first soldier said.

"Oh. You mean the ENET." Avery said. 

"That's what it's called. . Ahem. . What are you doing down here?" The second soldier asked.

"Just to see where those new pilots are. ." Avery asked.

"They're down at C Block." The first soldier said.

"I'm really not used to this craft. . So can one of you show me to the location?"

"Very well," one of the soldiers replied. He had nothing but gossip to bring about to end his break, so he thought it would be proper to do something more constructive. With that request filled, Avery and the soldier went through the electronic door. It slid open automatically, both of the humans went into the corridor, and the door sealed. The remaining soldier was left on his one, since it seemed that the others were elsewhere in the ship.

"A flyer like this and it's already empty," the soldier said to himself, speaking his thoughts aloud for some reason. "Oh well. I guess it's good to have the place to myself." With those words said, the soldier leaned up against the wall, concealing his face within the hard-shelled helmet all soldiers of his kind were required to wear. Looming from another direction, the soldier heard a crash. He peered out what limited viewing space he had to the source. "Eh. Must be a crate shifting," and dismissed it as such. Moments later, the soldier heard footsteps. They weren't heavy boots, so it couldn't have been his companion, and by the voice that spoke out, it certainly wasn't anybody he knew.

"Sorry, but I'm going to need your clothes for a little bit," The voice said. By it's non-hardened tone, it had to have been Satoru. The soldier looked up, unable to comprehend any sense of that statement. Before the soldier could get a good glimpse on the intruder, a fist forced it's way right into the soldier's stomach. When the boy tried to move his form, he was hindered by his injuries. _This is too much just to see my friend,_ Hakiteki thought to himself. He took it upon himself to take the guard's helmet, completely revealing his wizened face. The blunt end of the helmet graced the guard's cheek, and he nearly went airborne by the force. Giving away any source of stealth that the boy was trying to convince, the guard collided into the crate, triggering a quick, but loud uproar for all to hear. 

The boy's vigor acted through haste, as he took the guard by the arm, and began to disarm the guard to his bare-undergarments. Satoru threw his training clothing into the massive crate he was hiding himself within, and the guard's unconsciousness body accompanied. By the time the boy was attempting to present his new appearance in a somewhat convincing and fashionable manner, the pilot Avery and the other guard hurried back to the scene. By instinct, Satoru threw the helmet back on, and tried to make his way to the door. Trying not to attract attention at that.

"Did you hear that?" Avery said forward. It took a moment for Satoru to finally realize that the pilot was addressing him. 

"I- Oh. Oh.. That. It was.. Just a crate shifting. That's all." Satoru left the conversation ending on that note, and tried to make his way through the electronic door. His objective was close in his grasp, but Avery physically intervened. The pilot held his arm out, blocking the soldier. His expression was a perplexed one, like the situation was more complex than it really was.

"Are you the same soldier I was talking to?" Avery asked. The other soldier shook his head in negative reply before Satoru could answer.

"No. That isn't Bill. He sounds pretty different, but," the soldier looked at Satoru's torso. There, clipped on was the owner's physical bio, rank, and complete with an aged portrait of himself. Obviously something that Satoru did not take in mind when committing the theft. Something that the soldier noticed that the thief didn't, was that the clothing seemed to be rather.. Small for the boy's size. Both of the observers could see that Satoru's palms were barley visible by the sleeve, and the more weighted clothing even hung down. "it says everything right here.."

"Well you see.." Satoru attempted to explain. Both were waiting for a reply, but Satoru couldn't think of one. During his trek to cycle through good excuses, Avery forced his knee cap straight into Satoru's gut. Satoru jolted back, taken completely by surprise. In one, quick, fluid motion, Avery grasped tightly onto the helmet, and even ripped it off of the boy. There, both saw a young man with black hair and blue eyes. The man known as Bill didn't fit any of the description. Bill was aged, had short brown hair, and brown eyes. Bill was even much taller than Satoru.

"It's a pity, that Zeon will use children to play their games for them," Avery said. Something about that statement was utterly ironic, but that was besides the point. Avery was truly a quick shot, and in the blink of an eye, his Revolver was out, and ready to confirm a kill. The soldier pointed his rifle at Satoru as well as a precaution.

"No! You misunderstand, I'm not Zeon!" Satoru was quick to point his hands up in surrender, while trying to lift himself up from the ground after Avery's swift attacks. The soldier could see the true picture, that Satoru bared no hostility. Just by the look of his eyes, and the tone of his voice, the soldier could tell. After all, the soldier was used to live combat, but Avery's gun slinging was just a hobby he liked to perform out of the Wild West and Spaghetti flicks.

"That's a pretty lame excuse. We caught you here red handed. If you weren't with Zeon, why would you need to steal somebody's clothes?" Avery approached Satoru, and forced the barrel of the Revolver into his head. Even through the thick hair the boy had, he could still feel the chill of the cold steel touch his skin. However, the soldier could also see that no sort of fear ate away at Satoru's stomach. 

"Wait," the soldier interrupted, obviously giving Satoru a chance. "Hear him out. If he tries something, then we shoot him." Satoru sighed as a sign of relief, and tried to get up. Avery increasing the pressure of the Revolver on gunpoint proved otherwise.

"I'm need to speak to Commander Amelia Keen.. Tell her it's urgent."

****

Back to Amelia and Senra's cabin, Amelia was enjoying sweet slumber on the bed, as her slender form was slightly curled into a ball. She shivered from time to time and then resulting in her turning over. She was still dressed in her Federation uniform, except her shoes were off and discarded near the door. Senra was just laying on the couch, providing motions with his hand straight up to provide any sort of entertainment. His eyes occasionally wondered from the view outside, a view he was already sick of, and Amelia. He just couldn't help but wonder when a murmur escaped her lips and she tossed around in the bed. Senra just discarded it as she was restless, and was probably more nervous about how things on the _Bulldog_ will turn out than she hinted.

"Mmh. . ." She mumbled. .

__

Into a dream. . In the depths of Amelia's mind, one could see just a myriad of crosses, hanging up in an abandoned area. The sky was gray, as the thunderous noise of lightning was about to stretch itself across the land. Several crosses were in the area, either shattered, or broken due to physical abuse. Closer in this valley, there were multiple tanks, battle scarred, littered around various edges of the field. Along that, several Federation officers laid dead, with bullet holes riddled into their corpses. There was a church, where a Zaku I laid flat up against it, lifeless in it's technological terror. A tank's massive cannon was rammed into the cockpit of the Zaku, practically impaling it along side the ruined walls of the church.

Amelia, was inside the center of the church. The church itself, was ruined, with rafters hanging off by a few thin strips of wood. The oddly designed mirror behind the altar that most churches adored, was ruined. Several fragments of the glass were littered across the floor where a majority of the church's activities where held. The box, where communion was held was shattered, and burnt. In fact, everything in the ruin church was burnt. The pews were disorganized, and a majority of them were sticking up in awkward positions either engorged deep into the ground, or lying in pieces. The windows around the church were shattered due to abuse, and decorations such as a large banner that clearly read "Hallelujah!" was burnt, and had several bullet holes engraved into it.

Amelia just had a blank stare at the vision her mind was portraying. She couldn't understand the dream at all, as it was like she had full consciousness within this dream, unlike other dreams where you just know it's fake and you can command yourself to "wake up" and it would be granted so. Not in this case. Amelia looked around her. The floor was wrecked, and showed several signs of soil. The altar was overturned, and right at her foot. She looked forward. . There she saw a child's toy. . A stuffed bear, with it's forehead punctured through by a bullet.

"It's your fault. ." A voice said. Amelia cried out in the distance, attempting to pinpoint the source. 

"What do you mean, my fault?" She looked up into the dark sky. .

"It was your idea to attack here. . You caused all of our deaths. ." The voice boomed. Amelia couldn't even think straight enough to identify a gender. "You told him- no. . both of them to attack here. ."

"No. . I remember. The Zeon was here. . The Zeon was hiding here! I didn't have a choice!" Amelia screamed. 

"You caused the deaths of us all. . We didn't deserve to die!" The voice yelled. 

"The Zeon was here. . It was my duty to attack." Amelia said. As she said it, the hallucination increased, as the stuffed bear rolled over, seemingly by the wind. The bear was tossed like a rag doll, until it collided onto the ground near her feet. "If I didn't, I would have died. ."

"You're blaming it on the Zeon? They didn't start the fight. ." The voice said. Amelia's memory was coming together. . She could remember the battle perfectly. Gunfire noises stained the once halcyon air. War presented itself to civilians in it's ugliest form that day. . The battle was intense. . The Federation had no means of resisting the battle strength of the Zaku, but there was one image that Amelia remembered well. .

"That child. ." A small girl with a gun in her hand. . The memory shifted as the surroundings flashed. Amelia could remember that the little girl held her up a near gunpoint. . Amelia was armed with a pistol, and the little girl couldn't even hold the gun right. . "Protecting. . Her family. ." Amelia said to herself. . The final image came to play. . Two men in Federation uniforms. One of them, was wearing goggles, and very muscular. . "Him. . B-" Amelia was cut off from the last voice of a screaming child.

"IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!!" The dream ended abruptly as Amelia came into the living world with a heavy jolt. It appears that she was taken in by a soldier who tapped her on the shoulder. Senra was already up, fully dressed, towering over Amelia.

"Ma'am?" The soldier asked. Amelia was grumbling, but counted her blessings from being ripped violently from the nightmare.

"Uh. .? What is it. .?"

"Are you alright?" Senra asked.

"Uh huh. . Just a nightmare. . That's all. What is it soldier?"

"Well. . We found a stowaway. The third pilot managed to detain him. The stowaway says that he needs to see you, miss. . He might be a Zeon spy."

_A stowaway? Hm. . Couldn't have been Satoru. He would know better than that, and Stone would literally kill in on the scene,_ Senra thought to herself as Amelia prepared herself for public viewing once more.

"Oh. . Okay. We will go."

****

Amelia and Senra departed. Both of them were silent the entire way through the corridor, and to the elevator. Senra was concerned about who the stowaways were, and Amelia was more concerned about the dream she had. It was a good thing that Senra didn't ask her, because she would rather just leave it where it is; forgotten. To her, it was a rather touchy part in her history as a military officer. When they went into the cargo hold, they could identify a shorter soldier, and the other pilot.

"Here he is," the soldier addressed the other pilots. Both Satoru and Avery looked aside to the newcomers. "He doesn't seem to want to cause any harm. He needed to see you." Senra immediately identified Satoru, and on instinct, quickly hugged his best friend.

"Satoru! What in the world are you doing here?" Senra said. Satoru really wasn't accustomed to being hugged ever since the days before the war, but allowed himself to nearly be suffocated.

"I'm a stowaway. Didn't they tell you?" The boy said in a calm manner. Either that, or he was trying not to sound afraid. The truth was that the boy was somewhat afraid, especially with Avery still holding him up at gun point.

"Really," Senra said. He looked up to Avery, and said, "You seem to be going above the call of duty, aren't you?" From that statement, Avery retreated his weapon, and put it back in it's holster.

"Just keeping the ship safe," Avery said. He looked down onto the clip on Senra's uniform. "You must be the other pilot, and Amelia," Avery took a step towards Amelia and bowed as a polite motive. "It's nice to see you again, Commander."

"Nice to see you too. However, I have to say, you really need to lose that Western-attitude," Amelia said. She took into consideration that Avery barley spoke like they did in the movies. He had more sense than that. He really imitated their bodily movements, and the type of weapons (and style) that they formulated. Avery looked to the stowaway, pretty concerned on knowing the story. 

"Do you know this guy?" Avery asked.

"Well. He's Senra Rail's, the other pilot's, best friend. He was supposed to be in my unit, but-" Amelia said before she was cut off.

"Yeah, what did happen, and how did you managed to get out of that base alive?" Senra asked, rather absorbed in the situation.

"Well. I thought I could get out of the base and think that there would still be a spot for me, since the order was recently, but now I'm not so sure," Satoru said. "As for getting out of the base itself, I had to get past Stone."

"How did you do that?" Senra asked.

"Well.. I'm not sure how I did it exactly. But, it was almost like he was expecting me to get out. Like he was," Satoru trailed off, trying to find words that match the situation that occurred and said, "Like he was trying to prepare me for something.."

****

Within the evening sky, the sun was hanging low. In the grasslands of Northern Europe, a Federation platoon was forming. Evidently, the masses of battleships and the sort was the Medea's prime directive. Two of the many humans in the vicinity looked up into the sky towards the Medea landing. The taller man, was wise in his old age. He had a grew mustache, and stone-like brown eyes. The woman beside of him had purple hair that was tied back into a pony tail, appearing much younger than any other occupant in the military. 

"Those must be the pilots," The Captain said to himself. The woman had a clipboard with her, and without the Captain even asking, she began to read off the names.

"1st Lieutenant Amelia Keen, Ensign Avery Davies, Ensign Senra Rail, and Ensign Satoru Hakiteki." The woman read off. The Captain's eyes continued to dilate upwards to the landing cruiser.

"They sound like a colorful bunch," The Captain said. His voice had some rough edges to it due to his old age, but nothing serious. After awhile, the _Free Bird _landed itself, and it's engines slowly faded from life. A myriad of workers rushed out, and began to work on the Medea cruiser. The Captain wasn't sure what they were doing, and frankly, he didn't care too much. What caught his attention was the group of pilots approaching, more specifically following the woman.

"That must be them," the woman stated. When the group approached, the Lieutenant was the first to formulate a salute. The ensigns followed sloppily, and disorientated afterward. The Captain could even see that the pilots for the most part were still green, but the woman was a different matter.

"Good afternoon, Captain. I'm sure you must be Captain Tolen," Amelia said. The pilots behind her withdrew their salute, and Tolen just nodded in reply.

"Good evening to yourself, Miss," Tolen said. By good evening, Amelia was completely unaware of the time change. Tolen glanced to the clip board, and read of the names, "Ensign Davies, Ensign Rail, and Ensign Hakiteki. I count three young pilots, so you must all be here." When Tolen read his name off, surprise struck Satoru's heart. "You will be the pilots of the Big Tray class _Bulldog_. You won't have much to do, but we'll disembark pretty soon, so rest at ease," Tolen addressed, and the female assistant and he walked to the rather large cruiser behind him and in front of the pilot's eyes. 

_So.. I was supposed to be here after all,_ Satoru told himself. He was trying to configure his own mind to comprehend the actions that his old Sergeant displayed. Satoru never actually came to a conclusion of the matter, and left things alone. Senra and Amelia didn't even ask, as the three others walked towards the robust Big Tray-class ship, conversing in their own chatter. Satoru was left behind as he just looked up at the rather.. Disfigured battleship. Never had he seen anything uglier, as he was expecting something of _White Base_ fame or at least even a Salamis-class cruiser. But he never expected a ground crawler like this.

Satoru shrugged, and left the matter to itself. "I guess home is really how you make it," Satoru said to himself, and walked the way that his colleagues walked. Things might have been peaceful now, but they all knew that the real trial was yet to come.

****

To Be Continued

[1] - The counter-offensive in Australia hints to the Dreamcast Gundam game "Rise From the Ashes", starring the White Dingo Federal mobile suit team as they gradually retake Australia from the Zeon. Also, Australia was the victim of the failed colony drop on Jaburo in the beginning of the war called "Operation British".


	5. Act 5: Victim of Circumstance

Act 5: Victim of Circumstance

November 7th, UC 0079

Belarus, Europe

Pripyat River

05:00 A.M.

The sun was dawning over the vast, harsh plains of Northern Europe. Every Zeon officer expected this day to come for weeks. Intelligence said that Odessa Day would begin on November 7th, at around 6 A.M. in the morning. All around Europe, several Zeon platoons were gathering to meet at Odessa, to go over any last minute defense procedures. Intelligence also stated that the Federation would be using mobile suits aside of Gundam in this Operation, and that is something that got Zeon soldiers participating in the Operation scared. The power of Gundam was magnificent, and nearly unfathomable. For those close in the intelligence, there has been a Zeon suit designed to combat the Gundam, as it too has mastered the beam rifle. However, testing for gravity use hasn't been optimized yet, and the Zeon had to make do with what they had. The Zakus, Goufs, and a new model that was first used under the Black Trinary. 

The Dom. The Dom was supposed to be used for high speed attacks, as it was faster on land than any mobile suit. Nobody knew how it would far against the Federation's new suits, but it proved to be nothing more than an obstacle for the White Devil. Lieutenant Mash of the Black Trinary was killed by the Gundam, and that news spread throughout the ranks almost instantly. That, was used as morale by many commanding officers, but it only struck fear into most. Everything the Zeon was dishing out proved useless against the Gundam, and now they're mass producing it. 

However, this battle will decide the fate of the war. Odessa, was a battle that was important to thousands of Zeon soldiers. It was their main mining resources, and their primary resource to the Earth forces. If they lose Odessa, the only other stronghold that Zeon has is California Base and all of North America. If Odessa was lost, California Base would be weakened, and the Federation could push them off Earth and drive them into space with no effort. Many spies within Federation ranks were scurrying to find the secret base of the Federation, but spies were being hunted down one by one. . There were rumors of spies being in the Federation, and they are slowly being extinguished.

To the river, there is a sight of a lone Zeon team. For anybody who was not familiar with Zeon propaganda with their mobile suits, one would get them confused for the Black Trinary themselves. The squad consisted of three Doms, baring dark colorations that matched their surroundings. The peak of the sun glistened off their armor, and revealed their mono-eye, flickering and glaring all over the place. The Doms were hovering above ground. A thermo-thrust system that kept the Dom barely rifting, but allowed fast ground speed, considering the Dom wasn't really good in the air to begin with, due to it's bulky appearance. The Doms also adored bazookas, that went over their shoulders. These were the Giant B2 models, were there was a triangular hold at the bottom of the bazooka. The lead Dom, seemed to be much more sleek in appearance compared to the bulky normal model of the Dom. It appeared to be some sort of variation. Some sort of stealth-type. The weapon the Stealth Dom was containing was shorter and smaller than a bazooka, but still seemed out of the ordinary. It was a low-capacity beam rifle, the weapon that made Gundam what it is. The beam rifle contains the power of a battleship, and negates any armor any mobile suit has. To this day, Zeon still hasn't made a countermeasure against beam rifles that were full proof except for limited anti-beam armor that didn't work half of the time. Combined with the high mobility of the Dom, this would be a dangerous foe.

"Commander Vivian, how far from the Operation Point?" Said one of the Zeon pilots.

"Yes. . We should be at Kiev pretty soon. . Until then, we will continue traveling among the river bed than crossing the river." Virocana Vivian was a woman who seemed pretty gentle in appearance. From her looks, she didn't seem suited to pilot a combat-ready mobile suit. She had blue hair that slightly hung over her face within her helmet, the helmet all pilots were required to wear incase of head injury from shrapnel in the cockpit among other things. Her calm demeanor proved that she must have been a veteran at piloting mobile suits, as her face seemed perfectly calm, concentrating on the surroundings around her. Her voice, was just as slender as her form, as it barley came out the tone of a whisper.)

"Why ma'am? I think our new Doms can handle it. ." The second pilot asked.

"Let's not try. . I have an intuition that they will get damaged if we try. ." Virocana said in absolute monotone. 

"You see? She's spoken. You shouldn't doubt her." The first pilot said. In response, the second pilot just chuckled.

"Yeah. . Commander Vivian knows what she's doing."

_Even now, they still mock me. ._ Virocana's mind seemed to stray away from everything existing, as she started to retreat to her own dream world, envisioning something that happened recently. All she could hear was the hum of the Dom's thermo-thrusters aiding the massive suit to a high pace. All she had to do is keep herself straight for another period of time at least, and she will be at her mission objective; a rendezvous with the Odessa corps., to finalize the Federation defense. _I'm not that different. . Aren't I?_

"_Virocana. . You have stopped your test. . Are you alright?" The flash back began, and the sight of a bald old man filled the visage._

"Yes doctor. . I'm fine. ." In somewhere far from civilization, on top of a mountain range somewhere, a building resided. It seemed to be more of a prison than a fortress or a house. Inside, was coated in gray, resembling the dullness of the building itself. Where Virocana was, seemed to be something off of a movie. She was wearing some sort of plate on her head, that concealed her hair. The thick bags under her eyes told that she was suffering from physical fatigue. She was sitting upright in a chair, along several other companions of different age groups. The other had blank stares as their eyes were focused on a capsule with children blocks and an assortment of other items in it. The odd thing was, the items were rifting in midair, moving at any direction at random. There were no strings, but due to the high concentration of the viewer, it would appear that they were the source of this. This must have been a psychic lab.

Virocana was dressed in a white dress, as her hands were on her lap. On her arms, were small slots that were big enough to fit her arms. Wires hooked onto the slots, led to the source, that was a reader, alike that of a lie detector all most. Every second, the reader printed a continuous amount of paper that read off three different lines. Each line was that of a heat beat's read. The lines were in different colors, as it would seem immediately foreign for anybody who didn't know how to interrupt what they meant. The occupants seemed endless, as the tables were linked end on end until space ran out, and the test subjects continued a next row in front. Near the electronic door, there were twin titans, who were dressed in all black. They wore sunglasses, and stood like monoliths, not talking to anyone, or showing any signs of life. If somebody went near the door, they put their arm out, blocking them. Every now and then, they gave the occasional grunt of frustration, or a slight nudge. Those were the only signs of life from the guards that they ever portrayed. Nobody has heard their voice or know their names except for the doctors here.

"Virocana. . Is something troubling you?" The scientist asked once more. Virocana knew that whenever the doctors were nice to the subjects, it was because they wanted something out of it. Like their subjects to respect them to do more tests. None of the subjects knew exactly why they were there. . However, they had no memory of the outside world. Just memories of closed in walls. . None of them even knew what continent or land form they were on. . All they knew is that they were born unfortunate by God. . The subjects didn't even know much about freedom, as all they did was follow their orders. Not like Juvenile Hall or prison, where a social system would surface. Here. . It was the same sad routine, operating like lifeless drones. Virocana had some sort of experience about life; she was the oldest test subject in the labs. . She was in her late 20's, and the children looked up to her as an elder, even though the truth was that the children had nothing to hope for, as she didn't have a home to go to either. . Or a memory for that matter. .

"Dr. Ren. . I've been wondering about many things. ." Virocana said as she let her chin rest upon her hand, sighing deeply.

"What do you mean? Wondering about what?" Dr. Ren said, attempting to act like he was truly concerned. Virocana looked out of the windows. . She shifted her head plate a little bit, but Ren prevented her to by holding her arm. His touch seemed rather rough on her skin, and she couldn't help but emit a long and audious sigh, after the realization of the sight before her; the windows, all of the collection of windows in her vicinity, were barred of in a hint of malice. . It actually was like a prison. They couldn't escape even if they wanted to.

"Dr. Ren. . Why don't I have. . Memories?" Virocana asked, and it didn't seem to take long for Ren to think of a reply.

"You'll receive your memories back when the war ends. ."

"Dr. Ren. . Most of us don't even know a war is existing. ."

"Really. . Maybe you can break that to them. . They look up to you."

"But doctor. . When it all comes down to it," Virocana's voice broke upon mentioning these words, as her emotions started to tear away at her heart. "We're all. . Just little drones. . Working day in and day out. . I can't. . I can't take it anymore. . I want to go. . I want to see them. ."

'We used the mind sweep. . Yet she still remembers a fragment of her memories? And this emotional trouble?' Ren thought to himself. "The drugs should be able to control your emotions. . I won't allow outbursts like this come from somebody of your caliber."

"Why. . Why do you continue to hurt us further?"

"I'm not controlling or hurting you. . I'm keeping you safe."

"Keeping me. . Safe?" Virocana looked up to the old scientist curiously.

"Yes. . If I let you kids into the real world. . They will shun you. The oldtypes will shun you. . Because they simply cannot accept that somebody has actually progressed farther than them. So I'm trying to protect all of you."

"Protect. . Us? Do the humans really. . Hate us that much?" Virocana was completely oblivious to the discrimination around her in the world.

"Hate? No. . They despise people of your kind that have gifts that are unfathomable. Most of their souls, are still weighed down by gravity. ." Ren said, perfectly quoting Zeon Zum Deikum. 

"But Doctor. . Aren't our souls weighed by gravity right now?"

"Under the circumstances. . Yes. However soon. . We will move back into space. That is when we will claim victory."

'Victory? What is he talking about? Why would he mention "we"?' Then. . There was that question many weeks later. . Cutting to Virocana in her dorm, the room symbolized the exigency of the social disorder of the test subjects. There were minimal possessions in Virocana's room. There was just a drawer for the multitude of replications of the same subject garb she was accustomed to wear around the base that bared resemblance to the dress that hospital victims were required to wear. There was a desk, which had a head light, and several loose leaf papers perfectly aligned in a stack. There was a tin containing several writing utensils, and other miscellaneous possessions. On top of the desk however, was a necklace of unknown origin. It appeared to be rather aged, but the necklace consisted of a string, holding half of a ruined heart binding onto the string.

This was Virocana's only material possession, and if the doctors found it, they would dispose of it, for reasons unknown except that emotional attachments are lethal hazards. For what plan were they preparing the students? Nobody knew, not even a majority of the doctors. Just high doctors like Dr. Ren that were aligned with the Zeon military knew of the purpose of the lab. The kids didn't even know the proper name of the lab, as that too, was more that the doctors sheltered from them. Virocana was enjoying sleep, the only solitude away from the arduous struggles of mental labor. Several chain of pounds on the door greeted themselves, violently awaking Virocana of any broken tide she had with the mortal world.

The older woman struggled to get up, muttering to herself. She wanted to curse more than she was allowed too, but something was binding her from getting from the level of irritation. She pressed a side button on the panel linked with the electronic door, and the light phased from red to green. The result was the door sliding open instantly. There, she saw Dr. Ren, dressed in his usual doctor's coat. Ren seemed overly. . Serious about something, as Virocana's fatigue took form to Ren by the visible black bags under her eyes. Even though Ren would simply disregard this like Virocana was like one of the machines she usually saw him tinker with.

"I've always told you. . Never lock the door. ." Ren spoke down onto Virocana as if she was a dog who needed the scolding to obey the command.

"I apologize Doctor. . It's only 2 o'clock. You told me my next test was at 5 o'clock." Virocana said softly.

"It's not that. . I need to give you this. The letter will tell you everything you need to know." Ren held out an envelope with his frail, old form. Virocana took the envelope and Ren gave one of his stern looks to Virocana's direction. She closed the door back with a press of a switch, and sat back on her bed. If you could call it a bed. . It would be more like a mattress. The seriousness in Ren's voice gave her more reason to be concerned. . She slit the top of the envelope with her nails, and pulled out a letter. The letter wasn't too long in length. . But what it said would greatly affect Virocana. .

"This is a direct order from the Council from Zeon Homeland, A Bao A Qu. This request is very urgent, and it requires your undivided attention. You were chosen to participate under the expected attack on a mining base in Europe, in Odessa. This may seem sudden, as the attack was scheduled to commence in the next five weeks at least, but our last pilot that was scheduled to participate under the role we are about to give you was killed under a failed attack on White Base. So we are going to in trust you with this task. You will leave to a base in southeastern Europe in near Russian region to a base that runs the southern border guard. There, you will be briefed on what to expect. This may come sudden, but your superiors will tell you when to leave and matters concerning such. For all that we expect, is that you will be testing a Stealth model of the MS-09 Dom, that was recently overhauled for combat. Other information on the model will be told when you go through the entire briefing when you arrive. We know that you lack the battle experience, but somebody of your caliber will do just fine, even without combat experience. That is all." That was the contents that Virocana read out aloud to herself. 'My caliber. . Is this what Dr. Ren was talking about? Is this why they have to shield us off from the world? To prevent us from being used like this?' Those thoughts ran through her mind multiple times. . But then the scene shifted.

The last vision. . Where for the first time. . She actually felt secure, even out of the laboratory. .

"Miss Vivian. . This his General Jackson of the 13th ZMF Battalion. You'll reorganize with his battalion at the specified operation point to finalize Odessa strategy." A soldier said. This, was a complete twist, as in only a week at the least, Virocana was already forced to adapt to military life styles. The most skilled instructors attempted to drill her on mobile suit warfare at the most hastened amounts of time, in massive doses. It seemed no different to her than in a lab, as she was still working around the clock. This time though, she didn't feel as secluded from humanity as she did at the lab, as there were tons of soldiers around this base, that was located in northeastern Russia. 

She felt out of place, as she didn't know how to deal with socialism. General Jackson held out his frail old hand as a primary custom, and Virocana just looked down at his outstretched hand absentmindedly, as the custom was something outlandish. Around her, was a majority of the 13th Battalion, which consisted of many faces she never knew. Jackson retreated his hand in disapproval, and motioned towards the soldier to continue the stale introductions. In Virocana's mind, she seemed severely out of place, taking into consideration how. . Different she was from humans, and so she really wanted to be left alone in her room. But the people seemed nice enough. . The complete warped views that Dr. Ren bestowed upon her for as long as she could remember.

"Well. . She will be positioned here for the time being, but pretty soon, when the planned attack on Odessa starts, IF there's an attack planed, she will operate under your orders as soon as the rendezvous is completed." The soldier said, as another man entered the woman's vicinity.

"Great. . Another kid to baby-sit. Just what I need. ." A comment of that kind could only come from General Jackson. 

"She's very gifted sir. . She came straight out of the testing labs. She was one of their best subjects." The soldier leapt to Virocana's defense. 

"But does she know that?"

"Somewhat. ." The soldier replied. Virocana was right there, but she didn't have the foggiest idea on what the superiors were talking about. All she knew is that they were talking about her present status, and that they were treating her like an infant, saying stuff in front of her that she understood well, yet they considered her to be "too" young to understand it. She wanted to leave at this point more than ever, but she caught the sight of a young man. Even younger than she was. . She sensed something rather. . Unearthly about the man, but something that both of them could relate to. The feeling was irregular, but at the same time, it seems that she was so used to the feeling infiltrating her consciousness, it was like she preformed it under her basic tests at the lab.

But the lab was over now. . She was in the military now. She was now going to be used to kill people, as her superiors get away from the guilt, the people they killed with their own hands, blaming it on the puppets they ordered. Virocana knew this well, but she simply couldn't find the courage to stand up to them anywhere in the depths of her mind. . It appeared to be. . Fear. . . Fear of rejection. .

"Who is that. .? That young man there?" Virocana asked. The soldier was about to answer, but the General interrupted with his brash, booming voice.

"That's Samuel Apollo. He's a freak just like you are. . You too will get along." Jackson chuckled to his own joke, granted the absence of any humor to it. All of the 13th Battalion was aware of Jackson's prejudice to the "Gifted Ones", but this was something new to Virocana, as she just responded in a soft tone, obviously stung on what the General snapped.

"F-Freaks?" She asked.

"Oh yeah. You look down on us regular ones on disapproval like we're inferior." A majority of the Battalion just nodded. Apollo however, was in a world of his own, attempting to forget about what Jackson was saying, considering that Apollo had to live with this for over a year, and he's gotten used to it. Despise what Jackson said, he knew that Apollo was his best pilot. . Which would mean that Virocana is in threat for that position due to her "resume"?

"What is so superior about us? What is the boundary between us?" Jackson was about to answer Virocana's statement, but Apollo inexpertly leapt to verbal defense.

"Stay quiet General. . Your Feddie side is showing. ." The people among Jackson's battalion started to chatter amongst themselves, as Jackson had no other option but to back down. To prove to Apollo's victory over Jackson's humiliation further, he continued on. . "Don't worry General. This woman might just replace you."

"You. ." Jackson turned in the opposite direction, as he didn't allow not one person to get a good look of his face, which was pure scarlet. Sulking in his defeat, he retreated from the crowd of his family, and walked into the opposite direction. The other members of the 13th Battalion followed, but the last person to leave, was Ensign Lisa, who gave Apollo a firm look of disapproval that he ignored, and then she walked off. Apollo approached a rather confused Virocana, as she wasn't sure of what just happened here. Apollo landed one of his hands on Virocana's slender shoulder, triggering her to jump a little bit from the man's touch.

"Don't worry about him. I'll be sure that he never bothers you." Apollo said, and Virocana looked upon the ground, questioning the General's odd course of emotion.

"Why does he hate me? I never did anything. . I don't want to be hated. ." She said to herself.

"Well. . You're not unstable, so I guess you're just sensitive. So just stay close to me, alright?" And with that, the flashback ended abruptly with the bleep on the control console of the Dom. 

"Commander Vivian, it's the Kiev. They're welcoming us." One of the pilots said.

"That's good. . We will continue down the river banks and meet them. ." As the Doms continued onward, Virocana couldn't help but wonder something to herself. . _He told me. . I could see the boundaries between "us" and "them" in the heat of battle. . I wonder if that's true._

****

"Okay. . Lower it!" A voice yelled out in some sort of hangar of some sort. He was addressing the mechanical worker on the proper directions needed. Then, a loud "crash" ensued. "A bit lower," The worker was motioning both of his arms as if he were directing an aircraft for take off assistance. .

__

"That's it!" There, the legs of an unknown mobile suit were lifted up by several strands of fiber, pulling the lumbering behemoth into an upright position. The mobile suit appeared to be a Federation standard model, considering the coloration was different from the Zeon's trademark green paint that a majority of their suits were figuring, and that this suit's coloration was red on the torso, and white on the legs and any other joints. This suit also had a mono-optical system, but not to the degree the terrifying Zeon mobile suits go, the visor of the Federation suit took up the entire head, as it seemed to be more homage to the RX-78-2 Gundam that was running around on the same continent, doing what it does best; wrecking havoc and terror among the Zeon lines. Federation pilots would get overconfident that Zeon is being forced into terror because of mainly the Gundam and the White Base crew, but as soon as word got out that the Federation mobile suits would be for one, considerably weaker than the Gundam, and was a pre-mass production type model, the pilots turned their hopes around and else where. These suits were on the Big Tray _Bulldog _, as it appeared that it was just one along many of a Federation armada, heading southwards to Odessa through various environmental features. Odessa was fully commenced about 3 hours or so later, and an attack was expected. Most of the commanders predict that the heavy fighting will start tomorrow, but today would just be "slight misdemeanors". 

Along side of the mobile suit that was properly identified as the GM [G] Ground Type, was a rather bulky mobile suit. It seemed like a variation of the basis of the GM model, but much more heavily armed. It adored twin cannons on it's back, and had a slightly more sleek visor. This was the Guncannon Mass Production Type. The Guncannon was the second unit along White Base, and had much more defensive capabilities than Gundam did. It's lack of close range weapons did decrease the pilot's chance from surviving, but the Guncannon's role was to provide mid range fire support to a close range suit. The third figure, seemed to be an abomination. Mobile Suits were mainly used for mid-to-close range combat, but something like this would disprove that. It was a massive tank type mobile suit, as twin lumbering cannons held over it's shoulders, capable of ripping through any mobile suit depending on how close it was.

The final technical specimen was something that simply could have been confused with Gundam if one wasn't familiar with Federation models. Yet another pre-mass production type, it was the Gundam Ground Type, a specialized version of Gundam. Around this type, were dozens of tank and plane parts. Granted it was a ground type, and wasn't a multi-role type like the actual Gundam is, but the main battle was on Earth, and multi-role suits weren't needed. The multi-role GM was being put into the final testing operations, but wasn't quite ready for Operation Odessa. Although, the Federation knew that they couldn't win Odessa with tanks, planes, and White Base alone, so some strings had to be pulled, like granting some corps like the 4th Division that the _Bulldog _ was currently within, some mobile suits for some chance at victory. As most of the workers exclaimed. . They were lucky they weren't in General Revil's main force. That would just be suicide. .

__

"Okay. . That's it. Now all we need to do is to arm the weapons. . Hey Pilot Hakiteki! How long are you going to stand there?"

"Until I know which one is mine. ." Satoru was dressed in the piloting clothing that was required at this moment. It's been at least a week since he first came onto the _Bulldog _ and so far it's been a moderate trip. It's a lot busy now because so many workers are rushing to prepare the mobile suits and other various assortments of ground units that the Big Tray-class ship presented. Satoru was standing on top of the bridge leading downwards to the floor. The bridge had to have been at least 13 or so meters in the air, considering there was a precise pathway branching off from the straight route to all of the mobile suit's cockpits. He was standing in front of the Gundam [G], hoping that the suit would be his. . Even though Amelia probably wouldn't allow it. There was one more pilot in the _Bulldog _, and his name was. .

"Avery! What are you doing here?" Another pilot stepped from one of the thousands of corridors leading to the cargo bay. Avery, the same Avery who threatened to kill Satoru on the flight to the Big Tray in the first place. It's only been a few days, and the two are acting like year-long friends.

"Heh. I'm just looking for you, because Senra couldn't."

"Really. . What is he up to?"

"His usual tricks; trying to get in Amelia's pants," Avery said, and Satoru expected none the less.

"I see. . So what did he want?"

"Just to tell you that briefing will start in a few minutes, and you'd better get going."

"Tolen won't care too much, but," Tolen was a nice commander, the complete opposite of what Satoru and Senra used to experience everyday. Most of Tolen's superiors called him very lenient, but Tolen simply said to let the children be children in this case. Most people disapprove of what he says because the military is not a kindergarten, but many others took advantage of his very forgiving attitude to do whatever they pleased. "I might as well go anyway."

"Eh. . Knowing the basic case of luck, Tolen will probably start to change even now. . So I wouldn't undermine him.

"I suppose so. ." Something clicked overhead. It was the P.A. system, as in response, all of the workers halted their duties. The symphony of drilling and banging on various metal parts ceased into a mood of silence. The silence continued for a moment, so that it could attract all attention throughout the entire vessel, as the only thing that could be heard aside of the quiet engines below them was the static of the P.A., until a familiar voice came in, that was instantly identified as Tolen's voice. .

"_Attention all occupants of the Bulldog. I repeat: attention all occupants of the Big Tray-class Bulldog. We have finalized the attack procedures on Odessa. I repeat, the 4th Division has finalized a plan to carry out the main stream of Operation Odessa. A reprehensive is here, and he will explain all of what will happen and what your roles all. All designated workers will report to the briefing room in 15 minutes. All civilians will come along as well, for warning of what to do if this cruiser was placed in threat. . That is all, and consequences will ensure if you don't show up to the briefing. Yes, it's that important. That is all, Captain Tolen out. ." _The P.A. cut itself off, as a big majority of the base was on the move, dropping their previously preformed jobs and moving towards the briefing room. As the cargo bay began to get less and less populated and noisy by the moment, Satoru and Avery also turned to the doorway that was opposite of them, and left the 4 massive giants to themselves. . There were several doors down the hallway, and it was easy to get lost, but considering they knew the way, it was impossible for them to get lost, even in a massive land bound battleship like this one. .

__

"So. ." Without anything to stir up an interesting conversation, he asked something that he'd been wondering for the past two days. "Have you met any girls lately?"

"On this ship? Don't kid me." Satoru said. In actuality, Satoru wished that there were a few more women on this base.

"Well, I hear the girl who steers the ship looks pretty good."

"I need to get her name though.." Many minutes later, the briefing room consisted of rows of chairs lined up, as a massive bulletin board was plastered on the front. It was unknown what the room was previously used for, but the briefing "requirements" seemed to be much of a rush job than anything else. The walls were very dull, coated with the color gray which signified the lack of paint onto the walls. The room also contained several tables pushed into the farthest corners of the room, which made it nearly impossible to trace back on what the room was previously used for. Satoru and Avery sat in the very back, and mere minutes passed, and already, the room was filled to the brim with chattering occupants.

After a short period of time, a trio of well-dressed Federation officers invaded the scene. One of them, was Tolen. They were setting up a map on a wall by nailing it completely plastered with tacks, which proved to be of a nuisance attempting to pierce through on a metallic wall. Shortly, Satoru felt an item on his shoulder, as the touch almost seemed lifelike. By human instincts, he automatically jolted a little bit in his chair, and turned around, to see Senra, accompanied by Amelia who was also dressed fully.

"What is this briefing going to be about?" Satoru asked.

"About how we're going to attack Odessa." Senra replied. The chatter ceased automatically. There was one simultaneous sound of noise of the people sitting down nearly all at once. One was the last one to sit, as she looked around the room in a clueless manner, before Amelia lightly tugged her on her bare hand to sit down. The members fell silent, as they just stared up at the map plastered on the wall in front of them. The light was still off, considering they didn't have a view case to properly do the briefing, so a map would have to do. Tolen stood up before the silenced, and once rowdy crowd, holding a pointer for what it seemed.

"Thank you all. . Anyway, I'm sure you all know well about the planned offensive in this country, Operation Odessa. You know that Odessa is in central Ukraine, and considering we're now in Belarus, it's only one more border away. For those not familiar for whatever reason, Odessa is used as a mining facility. ." 

Tolen gulped, slightly recovering his voice before he continued onward with the briefing. "By utilizing victory over Zeon's lead mining resource, we might just end this war by lack of resources to build their mobile suits, or at least push them off of the planet pretty soon. General Revil will be leading the main fleet into Odessa, while the infamous White Base, will move in the opposite direction to attract the main Zeon forces, and act as a decoy. Revil's fleet should be able to get past the main ZMF (Zeon Mobile Force) defense unit. If this is successful. ." Tolen ceased for a minute, regaining his voice once more and continued onward with the monologue.

"Operation Odessa should be a cake walk from there." On the map, Tolen pointed to the area between Ukraine and Belarus, as a red light illuminated upon the surface of the map. "We're a part of the 4th Division, and the 4th Division's role is to outflank the Odessa forces from the north. Seeing from here. ." Tolen directed the pointer to the Pripyat River, and downwards to the Belarus/Ukraine border. 

"Here, is the border. Along with others among the 4th Division, I'm expecting an attack here, near the swamp land and the forest area. Depending on expected Zeon resistance, it's unknown at this point if we will go through the swamps, or just cut through the forest, but a Big Tray cannot pass through a river without much repair needed to empty the tanks of water, especially in the middle of an Operation like this." Tolen coughed, as already, most of the occupants were falling asleep.

"Once through the border, we will attack Odessa dead on from the north, breaking through any defense line. I expect around 3 defense lines: The Belarus/Ukraine border, near Kiev, and the final line north of Odessa. Other Divisions will be passing through the Carpathian Mountains, and other locations, so we should meet around the same time for the attack. We will surround Odessa and all ends, and force it to cease fire. . However. ." Tolen directed the pointer not to far from Odessa, eastwards.

"Here, Zeon spies have predicted to have seen several installations of HLV sites here. Some of the transports will probably blast off into space here. Once Odessa activity has died down, half of the 4th Division among others will be reported to search all surrounding areas lie the Dnieper Lowlands, and among the Dnieper River. As for the battle tactics. ." Tolen trailed off, as he witnessed several sights off to sleep. Tolen just shrugged, and continued on. Satoru and his friends barely seemed to stay awake, with the exception of Amelia, who just stared at Tolen not for the briefing, but as if she were waiting for him to say something.

"All tanks will stay put around the _ Bulldog _for assistance, and to provide a front barrage. Planes will head forward, to provide any reconnaissance, or quick attacks on future Zeon defense lines. There were only four mobile suits stationed to the _ Bulldog _, but I think that will be enough. Would Miss- I mean, Commander Keen please step up to discuss the battle plan." Tolen stepped aside, as Amelia stood up. She looked at the multitude of people who were snoozing, and considered herself lucky, as no matter where she was, she hated the attention, or the burden to get up in front of a lot of people. She eased through the chairs, as Satoru, Senra, and Avery looked at her. This was the part they were supposed to be paining attention too. One on the other hand, was snoozing just like the others, but she didn't have a point in the battle, so it wouldn't be enough to wake her up just to hear something she didn't have to.

Or maybe she did have to. Up on the stand, Amelia calmly took the pointer in Tolen's frail hands, and she just nodded towards him, giving off a slight smile in respect. Amelia coughed first, and swallowed hard before facing something that she simply didn't have to do again.

"E-Excuse me. ." Her tone was barely that of a whimper. This sure wouldn't get attention. After that, she spoke in an amputated tone that nobody has ever heard, as it was that foreign. She was used to talking in her soft tone, but this tone she was doing, seemed unnatural to some people who's been acquainted to the commander. It wasn't like she was yelling, but it seemed firm, but still unearthly. "This will be the finalization of the mobile suit attack plan." She activated the pointer, as it's crimson light grazed onto the very edge of the border between Belarus and Ukraine.

"The river will probably be heavily guarded. Zeon forces might anticipate this, but out forces will go through the swamps near the river, and then cross the remainder of the way through the forests there. The space between Odessa and the north border of Ukraine is immense, and consists of nothing but crop land, so it would be very hard for Zeon forces to hide and do a surprise attack upon us. ."

Amelia also felt the effect of her voice running dry, as she swallowed a few times before continuing. "However. . It would be very difficult for us to prevent fighting as well. So I've constructed a plan. All of the mobile suit forces will be along side of the _ Bulldog _ at all points. Do not venture out too far, or else you might be shot, or left behind. The assigned suits will go as follows: Team A will consist of Ensign Hakiteki and Ensign Davies." This was the first time that Amelia has ever mentioned anybody under their rank when they weren't in the battlefield. It was probably to prove that a woman too could be harsh, and not just doting and forgiving.

"Team B will be Ensign Rail, and myself. The mobile suit assignment will be as follows: Ensign Hakiteki and Davies will pilot the GM [G] and the Guncannon MPT respectively. The purpose of this is they will be the first to launch, and the GM and Gundam are used as close combat mobile suits, so if a platoon is there, they will be the first to commence attack. Ensign Rail and I will pilot the Guntank MPT and the Gundam [G] respectively. Team B will support Team A with cover fire. It's crucial that once the battle has started, the _ Bulldog _ should also join the barrage. ." Amelia went silent for the moment, before continuing once more. "Team A may be caught in the barrage, but I'm sure that they will be alright. I'm placing my faith in them. After that, we will be in Odessa battlegrounds. I'm predicting that the escape point will be.."

****

"Kiev. That's exactly where they're going to strike after they finish with Odessa." General Jackson said. In a rather rigid bar, several Zeonic forces resided all around the small establishment that was once a city in Kiev. It seemed to be more of a slight desert region, given the insignificant amount of activity in the area. Around the city, there were several barracks, and 5 Gaw attack carriers. Outside of them, it seemed like some Zaku suits were half loaded, but promptly aborted before the entire procedure was in place.

Within the bar itself, several armed Zeon soldiers were about the place, no doubt members within the 13th Battalion and other origins. Jackson, was standing up, as his finger went awry, pointing onto a wrinkled map that was spread out along the table. There resided Apollo in his calm demeanor, Virocana and her Dom pilots, fully dressed in the pilot uniform with their helmets holstered at their sides, Ensign Lisa, and a few other pilots that were sent to complete the limited force of counterattack. It seemed that Jackson was explaining the mission details. .

"How can you be so sure?" Apollo asked. By Jackson's demeanor, he didn't even have the energy to quarrel with the pilot at the moment.

"It's practically the only city establishment here besides Odessa, so my guess is that the Feddies will probably strike here."

"What if you guessed wrong?"

"Then I overestimated the Federation," Upon Jackson's statement, Apollo was rendered speechless. "Anyway, it's not like we can fully move all of our resources in time. We're going to have to abandon this position. Do you have any ideas Commander Vivian?"

"N-no. . No I don't. ." Virocana said slowly, as if she was previously pulled from her daydreaming. Jackson's shrug just served the basis of the reply.

"Fine. . Anyway. . The Doms are pretty superior to the tanks and planes that the Federation have, and their Big Trays are nothing to worry about."

"I'm not sure. ." Apollo said quietly.

"Really? If two teams of two Zakus could defeat a Big Tray single handedly, it would be very easy for Doms to do such." [1]

"That's. . Not what I'm talking about."

"Really. . So what's your prediction, psychic?" Jackson's annoyance level promptly rose. Virocana jumped at the term that Jackson used to label Apollo, considering that was the exact same term that Dr. Ren used to call her, a "psychic".

_A "psychic"? Is he the same. . As me?_ Virocana thought to herself as she just watched the sultry man.

"Well? I'm waiting for your intuition. ." Jackson said in a mocking tone. Apollo would have left the 13th Battalion due to Jackson's discrimination towards Apollo's "gift", and the realization that Virocana possibly had the same abilities have pushed Jackson over the edge, as he didn't want anybody who was superior to him, to eventually take command of what he's tried his best to receive. His image. While Apollo could have left, something is binding him to the 13th Battalion. . At this point, it was probably Virocana. .

"I sense something. . Irregular about this mission. . Something I cannot put my finger on. . Like the Federation is being overconfident. . It couldn't be about the White One, because that's just a single unit. ."

"Hm. ." Jackson considered the thought for a period, and then reinsured his answer. He was going to believe Apollo after all.

"Perhaps. . As for the battle plan. . Virocana, you will move to the swamp/forest conjunction area near the border. ."

"When?" The woman asked. 

"In the evening. They will possibly be passing through the border in the evening. . The battle could go on through the night, but only time will tell. Two Gaws will accompany you into the region, and drop 3 Zakus each behind the Doms. The remainder of the 13th Battalion will stay behind and evacuate from Kiev. If we can't recover it, forget it. We will move to assist the northern defense line of Odessa."

"Isn't that a violation of orders?" Apollo asked. Jackson slammed his fist into the wooden table. The impact of his fist didn't effect him any bit than the others, keeping silent from Jackson's sudden outburst of anger.

"It's either we move, or we die!"

****

Near Belarus/Ukraine Border

ETA: 30 Minutes

19:30 P.M.

Back at the irascible Big Tray _ Bulldog , _the mechanics were running amok, as in attempting to prepare the mobile suits in the most hastened compromise looming upon them. The border was impending, and Zeon attack was escalating. General Revil's main force has already broken through the main front lines, and was making their way to Odessa's final defensive line. ZMF counterattack was expected, but hasn't been truly verified at the moment.

Satoru was standing in front of the massive titan that was the GM [G]. He'd never been inside a mobile suit outside of simulations, and he wondered how far it would differ. The launch time was neigh, and Satoru had suddenly been overcome with anxiety of battle. . Not anxiety, that isn't the proper word. More like fear of battle. Text book answers and simulation results did nothing on the battlefield, as for all he knew, he could be the first to die, just like Sergeant Stone said to him. 

Senra on the other hand, he wasn't worried at all, he was just proud to be near Amelia, even if it meant being put in a death trap that was called the Guntank MPT. Avery was scoping out the last minute inspections on the Guncannon MPT. Amelia was the leader of the squad after all, and it's expected that she should deserve the Gundam. Even if it was a mass-production type, it could still strike fear into the hearts of the even most grizzled veteran pilots.

As much as all the pilots tried to forget and regret, this was their first times on the battlefield, and their first time in a mobile suit. From what Tolen says, the first battle will be easy, considering they just may become overworked with the first appearance of Federation mobile suits, and so far, the Zeon suits would be easy kills. However, the tests for the Federation suits fell flat when it came to newer models like the Gouf, and the unknown high speed black mobile suits that the White Base recently inputted.

"Satoru!" The boy turned on instinct at the shout of his name, interrupting him through all his worries of what may or may not happen on the battlefield. Senra seemed rather excited, but the Satoru's somber look proved otherwise. He lifted up a limp arm into the air, returning a weak wave towards Senra. "So. . What do you think about all this?"

Satoru sighed, and leaned on the railway, looking up at the GM [G]. "I was so. . I was so eager to come along. I went as far to undermine my drill instructor, and sneak on board a plane just to make sure I got to this moment, but," Satoru looked up farther along the giant, looking up at it's head that contained the rather large head visor. "Already, I'm having fears. . I was so eager to go out in the frontlines, so make myself known for my cause. . But even now. ." Satoru's eyes trailed down back to the cockpit of the GM [G]. "What if I'm not good enough after all? What if all the stuff at the academy and the training base was just a fluke?"

"It isn't like you to be worried about something. ." Senra said, rather confused by Satoru's actions.

"Really. . . Well. . If anything, I'm not eager anymore. What if I'm the first to die?"

"You might be. I might be. I just wouldn't worry about it."

"But you're not on the front, at risk of friendly fire."

"You're doubting Commander Amelia's tactics?"

"No. . I was just. ."

"Just don't worry about it. Don't place worries on the battlefield either. Just go out with no regrets, got that?"

"I suppose so. ." A loud voice prohibited from below, as it came from a lead worker.

"Hey pilots! The launch will start in at least a half an hour, so get ready." Aside of the worker, Satoru would witness Avery yelling at some more workers about affairs about his mobile suit. From the bridge walkway, he walked towards the cockpit of the GM [G]. Senra didn't say anything as Satoru pressed a small button on the side. He nearly jumped when the cockpit folded outwards at an instant reaction speed. A small gust of wind exited the sealed cockpit due to it's current release, as Satoru could smell the smell of machinery among other things. He got into the cockpit of the GM [G], fingering around at the various controls he was attempting to get used to at the last moment.

"Man. . This is kind of different from the simulator. . I hope I can do this."

"Hey Satoru! What are you doing!"

"You're right. I don't have any regrets, nor do I have anything to lose. ." Satoru closed the hatch, sealing him off from the world around him. Senra stayed for a minute, expecting Satoru to do something stupid like run off with the GM [G], but it remained motionless, as workers continued to fuel the GM [G] with what it needed. Senra walked further along the bridge to the Guntank MTP, and his only response, was a half-hearted shrug.

"Eh. . I suppose I have nothing to lose either. A pity I can't take a word of my own advice. . Isn't that right?" Senra said this to the Guntank MPT, as he wasn't expecting a reply from it as it seemed to be more of a rhetorical question than anything else. . Or a less formal acquaintance with his new "Partner".

__

****

Back to Kiev, the small force of Zeonic soldiers were preparing for their departure. The Gaw's engines were revving up, preparing for take off, as the hum of the engine reached far over the small establishment. There was still an ongoing pattern of banging, and metal clanging from the loading of Zakus onto the Gaw. Jackson on the other hand, was within the cockpit of the Gouf, that was presumably his. Workers were chatting with him about the performance of the Gouf, and most others doubted if Jackson could be a good pilot as he was a stern General. 

Apollo was boarding his Zaku II unit, armed with his trademark flamethrower, and a rather. . . Irregular weapon. The heat chainsaw. Only an expert could use an experimental weapon like the heat chain saw, and Apollo was well above the grounds of an expert. He was pretty much near Char Aznable status, even though Char, didn't have the time to gain ranks like he should have considering he used to tail the White Base, and after the death of Garma, rumors followed that Char was discharged, and the role of the Trojan Horse pursuit was in the hands of Zeon veteran Ramba Ral. Right about the time where Apollo was ascending the ladder to the cockpit of the Zaku, a woman approached him. 

That woman was Ensign Lisa Maes.

"You think that sucking up to that tramp will let you find love, Samuel?" Lisa said, attempting to instigate the other pilot.

"I don't have the time for this. ." Apollo said in a disheartened tone. 

"You didn't have the time for me. . Do you have the time for anybody but yourself?" Upon Lisa's statement, Apollo just sighed to himself, as if he was used to Lisa's endeavors. "I see now. . I'm not good enough for you. You have to find another freak like you. ." To add to Lisa's hostility, Virocana came over to the area, intending to ask Apollo something. The helmet was holstered at her waist, as her expression gave off to her clear demeanor. It was a pity that Lisa probably would have gone off on her in her rage. .

"Apollo, how do you-" Virocana asked, before getting rudely interrupted. 

"Oh SHUT UP! Are you possibly that dumb that you can't do anything by yourself?! That's no reason to act superior to me!" Lisa's emotional explosion seemed to get to Virocana's own emotions.

"Superior. . I do not-"

"Oh yes you do! You think you can come up here and steal the person I _ loved _ just like that? You act all sincere like a child, but I know you're doing this to hurt me!"

"Lisa. . Please-" The male pilot attempted to calm Lisa.

"And you finally have something to say to me now?! Out of all times, now?! Fine. . I don't care. You can rot in hell after all. ."

"Despite what you believe, I didn't cheat on you. . It's just that. ." Apollo trailed off, finding no other use of a reason to give to the woman.

"Just because you're a newtype, that doesn't mean you can talk down to me! **** you!" As Lisa walked off in her fit of rage, Virocana once more tried to reach out to her. .

"Lisa! Please! We can work this out. . Why are you so angry?" When Virocana tried to reason with the woman, Lisa felt even more pain in her body. Lisa would think that Virocana felt that she was so low enough, she needed help from a newtype. . And so she yelled back, refusing any sort of compassion Virocana attempted to bestow upon her.

"Shut up! Why do you mock me still?! I'm not a freak like you, that doesn't mean you can replace me just like that!!" Lisa's presence vanished, and all of the soldiers who were looking at the scene shrugged, and continued to their drone-like duties. Apollo approached Virocana, and rubbed his blonde hair back. 

"Why was I being yelled at? I was. . I was trying my best. ." Virocana was still trying to comprehend the scene, but Apollo told her to ease back in a non-verbal form, by laying his hand upon her shoulder.

"Don't worry about her. You'd better get ready. ." Apollo said, trying to comfort the woman.

"Will I come back alive?"

"I know so. ." After that statement, Virocana gave a slight smile as Apollo did something nobody has ever seen him do. He returned the smile. Apollo climbed up the ladder leading to the Zaku II's cockpit, and soon after, the hum of the engines were kicking into active life. Virocana walked towards her Dom, as Lisa just stared at her. .

_That little *****. . I'll show her who's superior after all. ._ That was all Lisa could think as she saw the Gaws beginning the lift off procedure. She also made way to her Zaku unit that was within the cargo hold of one of the Gaws that would be supporting Virocana's unit. . All Lisa could think about was getting. . 

Revenge. .

****

To Be Continued.

Author's Notes

[1] - That statement that Jackson made is referring back to a feat that the infant 'Midnight Fenrir' unit pulled off in the Gundam game 'Zeonic Front'. Basically, with two teams of Zakus, they managed to destroy a Big Tray, and even managed to capture an air base at that. 


	6. Act 6: The Sky is Falling

Act 6: The Sky is Falling. .

At last, the moment has come. The moment where several individuals will be tested in the rigorous trials of Odessa. Those who weren't ready, have already failed the trial. Within the _ Bulldog _, the Earth-bound battleship, several life forms were already gearing up to the battle. They have hit near the Belarus/Ukraine border, and those witnessing the environment around them, could already tell how drastic the scenery was changing. Ahead, one could see a large mass of green, and the ground before them getting much softer, and the surrounding getting much more murky. Zeon attack was already predicted, and the cannons armed upon the otherwise, useless set of wings on the _ Bulldog _ were armed, as from every second to another, the cannons rotated as far as they could go, then rotated to another direction, retaining it's job as a sentry.

The cargo hold that was used as a hangar, was filled with absolute chaos. Workers running amok, screaming across the room as if the battle was beginning already. Several workers who were retained to work on the mobile suits, hurried with all their power to do last minute check-ups on the suits to make sure there aren't any glitches in the operation. The mobile suit pilots weren't the only ones who were gearing up for the fight of their lives. Several planes were in the hangar as well, as workers scattered to re-arm and re-fuel them. The tanks that were in limited supply, were already prepared, as all the tanks required two to work. The Type-61 Tank brought the Federation this far in the war, considering they managed a stalemate rather than complete annihilation due to the varsity of the Zeon Zaku. 

Within the GM [G], Satoru resided. His arms were folded across his torso as his helmet was upon the control console. His eyes were closed, but he wasn't sleeping. He was just waiting for that one signal for him to move off. After a moment, a radio transmission blared into the GM [G]'s tight space. This seemed to break Satoru out of any bounds he had from the living world.

"Ensign Hakiteki, start up the GM Ground Type. The suits will move out into the northern swamp, and through there to the forest. Do I need to brief you further?" A soldier advised to the young pilot.

"No thanks. ." Satoru said, declining the worker's attempt of help.

"Very well. Good luck."

"Yeah. . You too." Satoru pressed a button on the control console with some hesitation. Possibly to push the right one. Suddenly, the darkness in the GM [G] ceased, as screens within the cockpit flickered with static for a moment. After that, a clear view went into play, basically a complete view 180 degrees around him, and a small camera over head for a rear view. A mobile suit is the least defended on the rear, and a direct hit could destroy any mobile suit from the back. It could even moderately damage Gundam, but not enough to be noticed. It was a pity that the mass production models couldn't have the same power as Gundam, but the cost would be too high for such. The view in the cockpit related to the view of the head of the mobile suit, as if you were looking through it with your own vision. However, the cockpit was in the torso, so it would be crucial for defense to the cockpit.

Satoru pressed another button, which triggered the computer to display several options. He grasped the two levers on opposite sides firmly. These controlled the mobile suit. It was very complicated, which made it important that only military occupants could pilot mobile suits. There were pedals that Satoru kept his foot rested upon, which controlled the thrusters as if it were a car. It was virtually impossible to explain how to properly pilot a mobile suit in an instant, so it would be difficult to explain. He pressed on the pedal lightly, which in turn, manipulated the GM [G] to raise it's foot a little bit, and step down, causing a minor quake to anybody who was near. Across from the GM [G], Satoru could see to his left, the Guncannon MPT, the Guntank MPT, and the Gundam [G] start up simultaneously. Before Satoru was fully in grasp with the world around him, trying to rid himself of his nervousness, he got a transmission from Senra. At the same moment, he could see the Guntank roll outwards a little bit. The massive cannons were holstered on shoulders, as the arms were positioned for battle. The Guntank seemed more like a normal tank given the gun arms that were used for machine gun fire, and the caterpillar-driven legs. The cockpit was directly within the small head between the cannons, which made up all of the Guntank.

"Satoru, are you still nervous?" Senra said. It took a moment for Satoru to answer, since the truth was, Satoru was pretty nervous.

"Well. . There's nothing I can do at this point. ." Satoru said, and then Amelia interrupted the transmission, as her portrait also was displayed within the screen of the GM [G].

"Please cut the chatter. We are about to move out. ." The woman said firmly, in a tone that none of the pilots were accustomed to. Then Avery's portrait manifested itself.

"I say we just get this over with and done. ." Avery said.

"Yes. . I do too. Team's A and B, move out!" Amelia yelled. The cargo bay door folded outwards, which triggered a huge gust of wind to follow through. All Satoru could see was the rapidly moving marsh ground. The _ Bulldog _ came to a halt from it's trek, as the door folded out as far as it could. Amelia's Gundam [G] moved forward, as the myriad of workers flocked out of the way. Satoru could only see several specks move out of harm's way from the giants. The Guncannon motioned with it's hand to proceed, as it was beckoning the squadron to move. Aside from the cannons, the Guncannon was armed with not one, but two 100 MM Machine guns. Not a good choice for long range, but just incase an enemy in closed, the twin machine guns would shred the enemy. The Guncannon's crimson frame shimmered as soon as the light from the cargo bay didn't hit the dark side of the Guncannon. It was night time, even though it was just eight o'clock.

And there, the squadron's trek began. Simultaneously, all four of the mobile suits exited the Big Tray through the cargo door. After stepping on the ramp, Satoru looked around at the scenery, basically day dreaming off about what would happen if he made a mistake. Amelia's unusually sharp tone jarred his memory.

"Ensign Hakiteki, don't fall behind. Davies, go on. We will proceed once you've given confirmation of Zeon activity. If so, the _ Bulldog _ will move and give support fire. Scout everywhere, got that?" Amelia directed.

"Yes ma'am." Avery obeyed as the GM [G] and the Guncannon MPT set off. Already, they could see the different in the land considering the soil here was extremely soft and murky. The _ Bulldog _ directed it's cannons forward, as tanks began to pour out of the cargo bay. Satoru manipulated his mobile suit with extra caution forward, switching between his sonar, thermal, and Minvosky Radar to make sure they weren't walking into a trap. The Minvosky Particles were broadcasted, which should give them protection from any planes passing by.

"And now, hell starts. ." Satoru said, leaving off a cryptic message.

****

"Okay. . Men, lets go. ." The way that Virocana commanded was anything but usual.

"Yes ma'am!" Both of the Dom pilots said simultaneously. Virocana said her words barley above the tone of a whisper, as the varied scattered amount of lights glistened within the miniscule cockpit of the Stealth Dom. The Stealth Dom, among with the duo of other Doms that served as the protector for the stealth model, stood upward from their previously kneeling position. A foot came downward, as a thick stream of exhaust emitted beneath the foot from the Zeon mobile suits. As their free fingers took a moment to move around, activating the joints, the crimson mono-optical system resonated, wildly flickering throughout all of the slots that it could go. The coloration of the Stealth Dom was different from the trademark crimson, as it was dark azure, possibly for advanced sensor assistance. Virocana's Stealth Dom beckoned the other two with it's free hand, as the beam rifle was holstered in a downward position. A back draft of wind ensued when the trio of Doms boosted off wards into the distance at unfathomable speeds without manning the rocket thrusters. 

As soon as the squad was in a reasonable amount of distance from the small Zeon settlement, a radio transmission opened itself to the Dom's communication channels. A portrait of a well dressed Zeon soldier was presented, along with General Jackson in the background, giving somebody some instructions. It appeared to be within one of the Gaw attack carriers. Virocana was going to ask something at the sight of seeing Jackson before the pilot of the Gaw spoke, but Jackson swiftly maneuvered off screen, and Virocana let out a deep sigh on instinct.

"Commander Vivian, what's wrong?" The Gaw Pilot asked

"No. . Nothing's wrong. What did you want?"

"General Jackson just informed us that the 2 Gaws will move ahead first. Once you reach the forest and swampland, fall back until the Gaws swoop overhead. We will have to confirm if the enemy's in there in the first place."

"Very well." The communication with Virocana ceased. As the communication ceased, Jackson started to become absorbed in his own thoughts. .

_It's a pity I have to use my trained pilots as decoys. . Without telling them even, but I have no choice. ._ Those thoughts rang through Jackson's mind. The Dom squad traveled into the black yonder, as the scene shifts back to the Kiev establishment. There, is Lisa fully dressed in her piloting uniform, making her way to one of the Gaws. She was drowning in her own anger and her own affairs until a soldier managed to save her from mental drought, or at least force her out of any train of thought she was indulging herself in.

"Ensign Maes, your Zaku has been loaded. ." A random worker said, addressing Lisa of the status. 

"Good. . That's good. ." The woman said in a sly, and unintentionally seductive manner.

"We're about to take off now, you'd better get on board before the General yells at you. ."

"General? Eh. . He's the least of my worries. ."

"Huh?" The worker didn't receive an answer, as he shrugged and returned back to his work. Lisa was simply tripping over her own thoughts. Her own jealously. How it seemed she was being replaced by Virocana in Apollo's eyes, and that of the 13th Battalion. .

She hated it. 

She wanted to make Virocana pay dearly. . 

But not something too trivial. . Something that would effect her life, and put Virocana into infinite shame. .

_That's it. . I'll humiliate her in defeat. . Hah! That's what I'll do! With Virocana gone. . Apollo won't think any more that I'm an invalid, just because I'm not a newtype. . That's what I'll show him!!_ Lisa gave a chuckle not of humor. .

But more of insanity. . .

****

Tolen was impatiently tapping the arm of the metallic chair that he was currently resting within in a sign of impatience, as all he could see, where his various crew members at work, the sound of beeping that could get on anybody's nerves who really has never trained to prepare for the situation, and the endless vast of greenery out through the massive display windows of the bridge. . He heard endless amount of banter, and the clicking of keyboards being mashed upon with their fingers. He yawned, showing a symptom of physical fatigue. However. . There was a loud bleep coming from the corner of his ears. . 

"Captain Tolen!" A male crew member shouted.

"What is it?" Tolen's voice was pretty seldom and sober, giving off the personification that he was either tired, or he didn't care much about the current situation at hand. Tolen ceased the beating of the chair arm and sat upward, slightly slouching over as he was awaking what the crew member was about to state. . He just hoped it wasn't anything sort of bad news. .

"I think. . I've picked up two massive structures on radar. . Wait. ." The crew member displayed some frantic typing, as some encoded messages appeared across the small display. Along side of that, minimized, was a radar display, as there was two massive objects on the radar. The radar seemed to be a new founded Minvosky Radar, even though it was oddly similar to sonar radars that were used in the Old Timeline. Tolen sat up from his slouching position grunting a little as he forced his muscles to give him the ability to sit slightly upwards, giving off a puzzled look at the crew member.

"What do you mean. . "Massive Structures"?" Tolen asked. Already, he was preparing for the worst.

"I've gotten confirmation from the other Big Tray units in the 4th Division. They've detected it as well. ."

"Great. ." Tolen stood up off of the chair, as he fell a pretty insignificant flight to the floor, considering the chair was raised upwards. He could hear the mass array of beeping adulate even louder with him off from the center of the bridge. He stepped towards the crew member, clutching onto the soft material of the chair that the crew member was seated within to give Tolen some standing support. Tolen peered over the crew member's shoulder, also witnessing and identifying the large structures detected on radar. Unlike the crew member, Tolen identified the shapes without much difficulty. . "Those are Zeon Gaws. ."

"The Zeon? Have they detected us?" The crew member said surprisingly.

"They couldn't have. . Not until we've reached the border. . They're probably going to scout the area. ."

"Should we give the mobile suit squadron orders to attack?"

"No!" The Captain's yell came completely on instinct. The crew member jumped in surprise of Tolen's sudden raise of tone.

"This is our advantage. . If we let them pass, we can get through the area without fighting. ."

"Then we should tell Team A to not advance any further, right?"

"Yes. . That would be the best course of action. . Leon, contact them."

"Yes sir. ." The communication operator named Leon started to 'button mash' on the keyboard in front of him once more. Tolen just witnessed several displays on the monitor that the Captain pretty much knew, such as phonics for the military. Leon reached to a microphone on the side of the monitor, as he spoke into it, trying to establish a clear transmission with the pilots. .

"All mobile suit pilots, report in. ." Static filled the channel. . Leon switched to a closer one, and attempted again. Tolen leaned backwards, folding his arms across his torso, just waiting in patience, or attempting to not be worried about things. . "Damn it. . Commander Amelia, please report. . . . "All teams, report in!"

"Interference? Or. ."

"They're jamming us. ." Leon said. Tolen sighed at the unfortunate turn of events. .

"Man. . These Zeon. . They must not want to lose Odessa. . Well, hopefully, the teams will be able to manage on their own. ." Tolen looked to Leon's workstation curiously as an encoded transmission formatted itself onto the display screen of Leon's monitor. . Leon just indulged himself silently by reading over the message. . Tolen also read it, and after that, he simply had to let out a sigh of utter disgust. .

"The Big Tray-Class _ Rivaway _is going to set up a portable long range beam cannon. They've gotten permission. ." Leon said. Tolen immediately interrupted, as the sudden tone of hostility and annoyance in his voice triggered Leon to jolt in his seat slightly, accompanied by the remainder of the crew within the bridge from their sudden setback. Tolen was certainly not the one to get angry automatically unless it was for a good cause, which hinted the exigency of the situation impending.

"No! Call them back! Don't they get it? If we play this by ear, we can avoid any sort of combat!" Upon the command, Leon nodded, and did exactly what his superior beckoned. He attempted to set up a communication link with the ones who contacted their ship recently. Tracking through record numbers, Leon managed to set a direct link. Tolen firmly rubbed his mustache, baring indications of old age by the minimal yet noticeable amounts of gray hair scattered amongst black lashes. Tolen put his hands among his sides as an image generated itself on the long screen. It was another aged man, possibly older than Tolen was. With Tolen's reflexes, and possibly by habit, he saluted the man. The man just hinted a smug look of ignorance to Tolen's way. When the man talked, his voice seemed dry, as if he was smoking or taking in any tobacco, or any other substance.

"Captain Tolen reporting, sir!" From the older man's look of disapproval upon Tolen, and by the amount of badges he was wearing, he certainly must have been of very high decent among the ranks. The man just sighed at Tolen's "introduction".

"My God. . What do you want? You've gotten your orders. ." The Colonel said in a tone of pure annoyance. 

"I apologize sir. . I just need to ask, why do you intend on using the portable beam cannon?" Tolen asked, no. Demanded.

"To blow those filthy Zeeks out of the air! What's it to you?" Upon the Colonel saying this, Tolen just sighed, attempting to take this as peacefully as possible.

"Might I give a suggestion sir?" The Colonel just sighed. From the way the Colonel was acting to Tolen, it would seem like there was some sort of rivalry between them. . Or perhaps it seemed that Tolen wanted to give better tactics than the Colonel so that a Captain could get resignation for battle tactics surpassing that of a higher ranking Colonel. So the Colonel probably found Tolen a threat to his position. They've met before, and the Colonel disproved anything that Tolen did. However in this case. . It might have been advantageous to allow Tolen to speak. If anything, the Colonel could just steal Tolen's idea and use it for his own purposes to get at the General rank.

"Fine. Make it quick. Revil won't wait for us to get beyond this escapade. ."

"Fine sir. . It's obvious that the Gaws are scouting overhead to make sure that there isn't Federation forces here. There's a swamp near by, so I think we should use it to our advantage. ."

"Really. . Great idea. . I mean, there's always a possibility we can hide the entire 4th Division. ." The Colonel said sarcastically.

"If we work fast enough, we can hide them in the swamp. That will bide us a little bit more time. Border affairs isn't our main goal, when we reach Odessa, that's where the real battle will begin." A slight chuckle escaped the Colonel's lips.

"Fine. I'll comply. I'll order the 4th to lay low within the swamp lands while the Gaws pass. Then we'll move forward. What about your mobile suit squadron?"

"We've already deployed our mobile suits. . Your suits are to be deployed at Odessa unless ours are destroyed, correct?"

"Yes. . Now, get to it. I'll comply with your suggestion."

"Yes sir, and sir, thank you."

"Yeah, yeah. ." Over to the Colonel's Big Tray, the link between the _ Rivaway _and the _ Bulldog _ceased. One of the Colonel's subordinates approached him, sitting on the bridge commander's standard metallic chair, with his hands positioned upwards, and his fingers overlapping each other. He smiled at the thought of what his next course of action will be.

"What should we do, Colonel?" A crew member asked.

"Continue normal plans. Prepare the beam cannon, and tell all forces to proceed once the shots have fired."

"How many shots?"

". . . As many as it takes to have those murders running scared. Fire at their ugly mobile suits too if you have the chance. ." The Colonel's personal bias against the Zeon presented itself.

"Yes sir. ."

****

At the leading Big Tray, the _ Rivaway _, several scattered sets of workers were at work to complete their latest inversion. A massive turret tray was positioned on top of the left wing among the triple barreled cannon. There, several sets of wires were connected to a massive base, leading to various ports within the Big Tray itself. Workers were testing many things among the beam cannon, such as the vents that was positioned in several places among the base. The barrel of the beam cannon was enormous, and very long. Workers were testing power readings, which resulted in the beam cannon generating a light blue, electric charge at the tip of the cannon. 

The method on how the beam cannon was controlled, was in the fate of a single soldier, mounting the "cockpit" of the beam cannon. The soldier was hand picked by the Colonel, probably due to his resume of the field position of sniper, before the Federation felt the emergency to deploy all of the mobile suits it had to make sure that they weren't completely overrun by the Zeon. If one would think about it, being a sniper, and shooting the beam cannon wasn't that much different in itself. Along the barrel, was several cylinders aligned amongst the cannon. Soldiers were hard at work to force the bottom cylinders from an upright position, to a slightly downward position. These were probably the locks that opened and closed the cannon to fire, for safety procedures. As the shadowy figures of the two Gaws drew closer, confirmation was made as the cannon was positioned upwards, aligned with one of the Gaws.

"We have confirmation. . The target will cross the line of fire in two minutes. ." Within the cockpit of the cannon, was an extremely claustrophobic space. There were wires about, and a single computer display in front of him, giving a complete 180 view in front of him. There was a crimson cross hair, which was positioned a little bit in front of the Gaw, so the Gaw could fly into the target, and not have to chase it down. The pilot was an expert, due to his touch upon the single joystick at his right hand. His eyes were focused on a scope, which gave a more improved view of vision and precision on the target. The pilot spoke with the tone of an expert: calm and observing. 

"Another easy kill. ." He directed the joystick slightly to the left, as he could feel the pressure from the entire structure shifting. The pilot smirked, as simultaneously, he pressed a switch among the stick. He also pressed a few buttons on the small console as well. The workers began to clear out of the area once the preparations were finished as a collection of bright, blue particles began to form at the tip of the cannon, emitting an electric-like pulse. .

****

"That's definitely a Zeon aircraft. ." Amelia said, peering up into the sky. The Gundam's emerald eyes lit up when it focused onto the object.

"Should we attack it? We have the fire power." Senra asked, pointing the Guntank's cannons upward.

"No. . We haven't gotten any orders yet. I think we should hide until we do get orders. ." The Gundam [G] and the Guntank made a slow decent from the hill they were perched upon. They wanted to avoid using the rocket thrusters, because the light given off from the thrusters in the darkness would no doubt give away their presence. As soon as the two were near the swamp's beginning, Amelia attempted to establish a contact with her other team.

"Ensign Davies, Ensign Hakiteki, come in. ." Amelia squinted in pain as the only response she got was the high pitched sound of various jumbled noises, and static. "I can't reach them. . They must be half-way through the swamp by now. ."

"Are the other units moving?"

"I'm not sure. . My radar is out. ."

"Yeah. . Mine too. ." Amelia's Gundam [G] came to a halt, as she witnessed the murky substance graduate even further. "We'll wait here. ."

Cutting to Satoru and Avery, both were making their way through the swamps. The two mobile suits had a difficult time getting through the thick waters, as it proved a formidable challenge for their gears to work against the thick water. Both of the mobile suit's heads continued to wander from right to left, keeping an update on their surroundings. Satoru sighed within the cockpit, getting bored on instinct, even though he wasn't too eager to get into a war anyway. Avery was just calm, readying the Guncannon's armaments for any situation it was needed in.

"My God. . This would be the perfect place for hiding Zakus. ." Satoru said.

"IF they didn't have as much trouble moving around as we do. ." Avery complained.

"Man I hate this walking. . Let's just get this over with. ." Within the cockpit, Satoru pushed one of the control levers forward. This in turn, manipulated the GM [G] into performing a boost due to the rocket thrusters. Bright blue tiers emitted themselves from the rockets mounted on the backpack of the GM [G]. The speed within the water was gradually increased, as the GM [G] surpassed the bulky form of the Guncannon. Avery just sighed, as thick water splashed on his cockpit. Avery however, continued to walk among the water. Once finding a patch of land, Satoru stopped his mobile suit upon it, searching around once more, hoping his impatient action didn't attract attention.

"Hey Avery. . Hurry up. ." Satoru said, attempting to hasten Avery's movements through taunting him.

"What's the rush? Amelia will scold us if we get too far ahead. ."

"Amelia doesn't know the mea-" Satoru trailed off in mid-sentence as he saw something from the corner of his eye. It was a red marker displayed on his radar. He looked in the same direction portrayed on the radar, and he saw nothing. . He couldn't determine how far the target was, but he started to get concerned. . "Did you see that just now? That flicker on the radar?"

"No. . I was too busy trying to catch you. . What did it read?" Avery struggled to get on the land that Satoru was on, but eventually, he did so. .

"Definitely a mobile suit. . But it just. . Disappeared. ." Satoru couldn't find any better words to describe the situation.

"A mobile suit? Where?"

"To my north. . Or to the south. I didn't catch how far it was. ."

"Did you see the model number?"

"I barely saw it. . It said," Satoru took a moment to collect his memory, and two to fluctuate it with utmost verbal precision to Avery.

"What? Get on with it. ." Avery said impatiently.

"I think it said something "09"."

"Hmm. . I don't know that number, but I think we should head out of the swamp to meet Amelia."

"Yeah. . Let's do that. ." Satoru turned his mobile suit in the opposite direction, and so did Avery. . However, as they took once step, they heard an ear-piercing shot, even through the cockpit of the mobile suit. . It was extremely loud, louder than shots that come from immense battleships. In fact, they both heard two of these sounds. They looked around for the source. . Then, looking up, they saw two, bright blue beams of light, shooting off into the sky, with an explosion of something following. . The beams traveled into space, illuminating the night sky with their brightness. In the distance, the pilots could see a crimson light, formatting over the horizon. .

****

Scattered amount of debris was falling onto the Earth's crust in hard decent, immediately at the time that the beam cannon's fire pierced through the Gaw's wing at first, unbalancing the aircraft, as the shot immediately after, struck directly through the cockpit of the aircraft. It was a pity that the pilots didn't even have a prayer, or a hope of surviving. The Gaw tilted a little bit, as the hit wing fell downwards, accompanied by flames and scattered amounts of debris with it. One could also see the amounts of speck-like humans falling from the captivity of the Gaw. To the pilot who fired, it was another number to him, even though these were human lives he was affecting. The 4th Battalion came to action as soon as the first shot was fired, let alone the second. .

The fortunate thing about the quick loss, was that the cargo hold wasn't hit, however, a chain of explosions tore the cargo hold apart. . The Gaw's nose went down, as the ship was breaking apart at unfathomable speeds due to the numerous chain reactions. The other Gaw, was turning around, firing any cannons it could at it's downside at the enemy. The Big Tray's and other ground units below also did their counterattack. A flurry of machine-gun fire, and projectile shells could be sighed clearly in the night, as well as the sounds of war. That consisted of loud gunfire, and explosions. Something that was out of the ordinary, was something among the debris. The pilot of the beam cannon gave a puzzled look as he saw 3, near mint condition Zakus, riding the debris down to the surface. .

Ensign Maes was among one of the Zaku pilots, fighting for their life with whatever advantages they could muster. She felt rather confident, as she prepared the Zaku's weapon while falling among a large piece of debris, which used to be a part of the central hull. The force and pressure on her body was astronomic, as somebody not used to the heat of battle, would probably pass out from the pressure alone. Stray shots hit the debris several times, but this wasn't of a concern to Lisa, as to her own preference, she really couldn't die. . Not until she's extracted some sort of superiority over Virocana, who was probably witnessing the battle while this was going on. .

"Ha. . Really good plan Ensign Maes. . This is truly a plan!" A grunt Zaku pilot said. From the tone of his voice, adrenaline was taking over his mind.

"Don't worry about it. . These Feddies are just pushovers. . We can't die due to a little pea-shooter." And Lisa just stayed calm. It was just another mission to her. . She's been piloting mobile suits since the beginning of the war. 

"You're right. . We have the Zaku, we can't lose!" The grunt said excitedly.

Cutting to the _ Bulldog _, the ship was under heavy fire from the Gaw above. It was the closest Big Tray to the twin Gaws, which was something that the Colonel probably planned. The bridge was in chaos, as every possible worker was doing their job to the full capability they could. The _ Bulldog _ hit reverse, as the triple barrel cannons were doing their best to return counter fire to the airborne enemy.

Tolen was sitting in his chair, just silently witnessing the events taking place. He could hear the scattered sounds of gunfire, and the excited cries of his fellow crew members. . Tolen's anger was silently rising as he slammed his fist into the metallic arm of the chair. The bang carried through the bridge, as some members slightly looked back at him, as something was wrong with him.

"Damn him! He was planning this all along. ." Tolen said to himself. A purple haired female crew member looked up to him.

"Planning what?" The woman asked.

"Never mind, Noyr. . The Colonel, wanted us to get out this far. . Just so we would attract the fire."

"Do you think that we can withstand them?" Noyr was the director, or the "pilot" of the Big Tray. It was a little bit different from a battleship, as a majority of the steering system was computer controlled.

"If luck's on our side. . Which it isn't. Steer the _ Bulldog _back. Is the channel with the mobile suits still blocked?" Tolen asked. 

"There's too much interference. . I can't raise them."

"Great. . This mission is turning worse already. ." Tolen said silently. Back to the battle ahead, Amelia and Senra were attempting to get a grip on the situation in front of them, as they were firing upon the debris shielding the falling Zakus. Both could feel the heat of battle directly, as the 100mm Machine gun the Gundam [G] was armed with managed to vibrate the mobile suit Amelia was in, however, she was mainly concentrating on hitting the Zakus before they landed. For Senra, the Guntank fired twin, powerful shells in the air every second, as he too, was focusing on the matter at hand.

Back to Lisa's positioned, she saw some fire below her. She muttered indiscriminately as she forced one of the joysticks of the Zaku to the right. An additional force vaulted the Zaku to the right, narrowly avoiding a high powered shell from the Guntank, that would have shredded her mobile suit the same as it did that piece of debris. The squadron of three Zakus hit the ground hand, as the abrupt landing jolted Lisa hard. She felt a force in her stomach, as she felt like throwing up at this point. The debris also came to a hard landing upon the crust. It would have shredded anything it came in contact with, given it's high speeds, even Zakus. However, these were teams of aces, as they flawlessly skated along the ground, avoiding each and every piece of shrapnel as it fell.

"What the. . What's that?" The Zaku pilot said, and then Lisa looked forward. There, she witnessed two mobile suits. Those were the Gundam [G] and the Guntank, but Lisa didn't know that. All she knew, was the robust and irregular designs the two mobile suits shared. She looked at the Gundam, and no rush of fear conquered her body. 

__

Ah. A Gundam-look alike. . Probably can't even perform as good as the real thing. She looked at the tank, and laughed at the thought of the Federation producing something of that caliber. . "Hah! The Feddies are riots! Making suits like that. ." Lisa said as an attempt to make the situation easier than it really seems.

"I'm not sure about that Gundam though. ." The two mobile suits opened fire, as once again, they dodged with excellent precision. Senra was having a very difficult time to keep up with the much faster mobile suits, but Amelia's Gundam [G] could match up to the maneuverability of the Zeon suits, and even surpass it by gracefully dodging their fire. Each shot the Guntank fired, trailed off in the distance, hitting a stray object like a tree, automatically piercing through it, tearing it to mere fragments of splinters. The Guntank wheeled itself a little bit to the right, matching the same strafting as the Zakus were. Senra pushed a button among his lever, and another shock emitted from the Guntank, as it released another shell. . However, this time, it managed to cleave off one of the Zaku's arms. The pilot of the Zaku eyed the arm-less appendage with surprise filled within his eyes.

"What the. . That shot. . Took the Zaku's arm straight off. ." The Zaku pilot said, nearly rendered speechless from the enemy mobile suit's power.

"These little bastardizations. ." Lisa trailed off as yet another shot fired from the beam cannon, piercing the second Gaw dead on. A second shot from the beam rifle wasn't needed, as the Gaw diverted off course in it's crash procedure. . It was of a lucky thing, that the other mobile suits onboard the Gaw, did the same technique, obviously to attack the beam cannon itself. .

"And we lost another one. ." Lisa said. . She wasn't concerned about the soldier's life, but more focused on the fact that she's going to have to work even harder.

"Hey. . Virocana is closing in now. She's at the swampland." The grunt addressed.

"Ugh. . Why didn't she just die on the way. . Take these things out!" Lisa pulled out a heat hawk from the back of the Zaku, as it boosted forward in desperation. And there, the beginning of a battle was commencing.

****

Satoru observed the events taking place before him in mute horror, as he was obviously at loss for words. Avery also watched the fierce battle in the background intensify. Satoru felt a rush, so to speak, flowing through his body. It was nostalgic, yet a sickening feeling, as his head collapsed into his right hand. He grunted softly, as the sick feeling portrayed his consciousness once more. It was like, several beings were piercing away his body to mere flesh and bone with the most crafty objects, and the slowest, most horrific techniques known. A cold sweat ran down his forehead, as he looked forward, to where the battle was. . After hearing another explosion, Satoru's soul seemed to "lock", putting itself into another reality, apart from the real one. . As soon as a gasp escaped his lips, he fell forward. It was a sure thing that the seat belts caught him, but as soon as he was jolted back to the seat, he remembered when he first experienced the feeling. . Back on Guru 10.

Satoru attempted to pull himself together, even though the sickness haunted it's way through his entire figure and more some. He pulled a lever of the control scheme up, as the GM [G] slightly positioned itself upwards. Satoru was broken from his daze, by a communication link by Avery.

"What's going on?" Satoru asked, attempting to pull himself back together.

"I'm not sure. ." Avery's tone was calm, as if he was familiar to the situation. The Guncannon turned away from Satoru, pointing to the distance of the battle with one of it's machine-guns, as a signal for it to follow. "We should go back. . Just incase they need help." Avery stepped on the pedal of the control scheme, and the Guncannon walked forward, however, Avery was launched forward in his seat. He looked down through the display, to see the GM [G]'s arm, complete with a fully loaded machine gun prevent the mobile suit from advancing any further. .

"Wait. ." Satoru interrupted.

"What are you-"

"Shut up. ." Satoru closed his eyes. He felt a tremor, so to speak. Aside from all of the scattered amount of senses from the battle, he felt something not to far in. He tried to concentrate all of his senses to one point. . He didn't know how he was going to do it, considering a mobile suit doesn't implicate sounds through the cockpit very well, but he knew that he heard something. . It would be useless to ask Avery if he heard it as well, as he already knew the answer. . 

His eyes darted to his right. . There was nothing there. .

Then to the left. . Nothing there as well. .

However, before he could dismiss the feeling as something that his mind created up to fool him, he definitely heard something stop not too far behind him. He looked down on his radar, and there indicated three readings. He quickly forced his mobile suit to a complete turn to the rear, as he pushed forward on one of the levers to help the mobile suit thrust, to turn quicker. Avery just looked at the fluid motion occurring, not sure of what was happening. The last thing Satoru sighted, was the sound of something firing. . There was an additional sense to this. . Like something was helping him. He couldn't control it, but he hit the switch that operated the firing system. Automatically, the GM [G] pulled the trigger of the machine gun, and several high speed rounds emitted from the gun. It seemed to hit nothing but air, but there was an incoming projectile heading right towards him, and one of the shots managed to hit the projectile, promptly detonating it. .

The smoke immediately cleared, and Satoru got the sight of three figures he'd never seen before. Avery also turned around, loading his weapon on instinct, and pointing it to the source of the invaders. There, he saw three mobile suits of thick design. Their mono-optical system hinted that they were of Zeon origin. The suits were black, with a really dark shade of purple. Two of them, had massive bazookas, which were holstered over their shoulders. The one who fired, had the bazooka pointed upward, never deviating off from the unknown Federation mobile suits for a second. A lead figure he saw, was much more skinny than the other two bulky suits. However, it had a weapon that neither Satoru or Avery could identify. . Satoru looked down at the radar, and positioned his crosshair upon one of the figures. . For a second, they clearly were labeled "UNKNOWN", until the blimp flickered, and then a positive name came up. .

"**MS-09 DOM**".

"Dom"? What is that. .?" Satoru asked, eyeing the foreign mobile suits in a curious manner.

"Not sure. . However, they don't look like they can move much. ." Avery said. Over to the Dom squad, one of the Dom pilots lowered his bazooka. Virocana in her stealth Dom, just observed, trying to take in what she was seeing before her. .

"Not bad. . Not bad. . Shot my shot in mid air. . At least I know that they're training these kids. ." The first Dom pilot said.

"What is this? These were never factored into the equation. ." Virocana said, unable to identify either of the enemy mobile suits.

"Commander Vivian, I think they're Federation mobile suits. ." The second Dom pilot replied.

"Right. . They do kinda look like the White One. . But look at the peashooters these things have." The first Dom pilot said.

"But. . We do not know of their full capability." Virocana said softly, still unsure what to make of the situation.

"Eh. . Who cares about specs. . A grunt suit is no match for our Doms. Ma'am, you go on ahead. . We haven't had any fun in a long time. ." The first pilot said.

"I won't allow myself to. I'll fight along side of you. . I was given orders to secure the safety of this unit. . I won't allow the trust in me to be violated." The woman said in a firm manner.

"Trust to be violated", huh? Don't sweat yourself. Just wait here, we'll be done shortly." The second pilot said.

"Yeah. . I think this is the beginning of a very good relationship, and a team. Let's have a little fun with these Gundam-wannabes!" The two Doms advanced forward, as to Satoru and Avery's surprised, they seemed to surf along the ground, instead of walk, which means that they're at a disadvantage with their bipedal mobile suits in such thick, swamp water. They could see the Stealth Dom with Virocana move slightly backwards, just observing the fight impending.

"Oh man. . These things are fast!" Avery yelled.

"Think we can win?" Satoru asked.

"We can always try!" The backpacks of the two Federation mobile suits kicked into life, as the juggernauts were vaulted airborne at insanely high speeds. The two Doms seemed to deviate from each other, each taking their separate pick for targets. Satoru and Avery's suits landed on the soft soil which would possibly help them in battle. The Doms crossed over the thick swamp water, clearing through it as if it was of no obstacle to them. Satoru manipulated his GM [G] to strafe to the right, as the G forces seemed to hurl his body in the opposite direction. He pressed the firing switch, and then, another volley of fire was rained upon the enemy Dom. .

The Dom froze for a second, being caught in the fire, but Satoru stopped firing, when he realized that the bullets had little effect on the armor. The Dom raised it's bazooka, and strafed along the opposite side of the GM [G]. The firing device of the bazooka shifted slightly, and yet another shot was fired. The massive projective traveled at fast velocity, as Satoru raised the GM [G]'s left arm, as it was armed with a small shield. The GM [G] was rocked back, as the bazooka shot managed to destroy half of the shield with one, accurate shot. Satoru grunted in frustration as the sight of the left arm slightly damaged by shrapnel.)

"Damn! I'll get you!" Satoru attempted to get in close range, but the Dom would simply not allow such, as it fired bazooka rounds whenever Satoru tried to get close, even more frantically than usual. Virocana was observing the fight, keeping a rather skeptical look on their fighting tactics. .

"I don't get it. . They could have dodged all these attacks. ." Virocana thought to herself. . _This is the separation, I suppose. . This is the boundary. ._ Those thoughts rang through her mind as she witnessed the fight. Resuming the fight, Satoru was having his own difficulty trying to shoot down the enemy Dom. . Even though to the Dom pilot's eyes, Satoru was a pretty tough pilot to bring down, even though Satoru had a lack of experience. . Things over at Avery's end, were going the same way. . Avery manipulated his Guncannon almost flawlessly (Even due to the danger), which meant that whenever the enemy Dom fired a bazooka round, Avery dodged it. . Avery smiled when he dodged one bazooka shot, as it trailed off and hit a myriad of slumping trees in the distance. . Smoke filled the air, ultimately blowing through the Guncannon's figure. The head lifted upwards, and the dual cannons upon the Guncannon's back shot to life.

"Is that all you got?! The Guncannon is more powerful than you think!" Avery screamed in his moment of excitement. 

"You little fly!" The second Dom pilot pulled back on one of the joysticks, as the Dom reacted by thrusting backwards. It's bazooka rose once more, as it seemed like the speed of the Dom's movement was increasing. A light blue thrust formatted under the Dom's backpack, however, positioned at the side, it provided the Dom additional power. The pilot was getting even more annoyed, as the Dom raised it's bazooka once more, and fired yet another shot. Another miss, as the bulky humanoid form vaulted into the air immediately before the shot hit. The Dom pilot looked upwards, loosing his sight of direction. "Lost him!"

The pilot only had one more shot in his bazooka before reloading, and he fired it into the sky, at what seemed like to be a shadow of the Guncannon. The projectile exploded on a tree, bringing a massive fragment of it down, however, he could see the azure visor of Avery's mobile suit move along with it, giving off a bright signal. The Dom pilot cursed on his ill luck, and moved his Dom behind a collection of trees within murky waters. . The thermo thrusters beneath the Dom's feet ceased to function, as the Dom slipped in the water, probably trying to evade any fire. All the pilot could hear was the gunfire from the distance, the fighting between his comrade, and the occasional boost from the Guncannon landing somewhere. The pilot could hear the hydraulics, but could not detect the source. . The Dom reached into a pack among it's leg, and started to reload the bazooka, as it's mono eye pivoted around every second to keep a look out. .

"Where is that thing. ." The Dom's radar gave a negative result. . The pilot was waiting in anticipation for the cowardly enemy to show himself once more. . Once the last round was about to be loaded, the Dom rocked violently. It was being fired upon by a barrage of chain gun fire from it's side. The pilot looked around, as his radar didn't detect the mobile suit. . Then, the pilot looked directly forward into some shrubbery. . There he saw a camouflaged figure. . But the massive twin cannons sticking out of the bushes gave it away. . And there, the Dom pilot was forced into mute horror. .

His trigger finger slipped, and the crosshair deviated slightly off. . One of the bazooka rounds fired, but missed. . Immediately after the confirmed miss, the Dom's thermo thrusters attempted to restore themselves once more, but both of the Guncannon's cannons shifted, vibrated, and then fired two high speed shots. The shots seemed to inflict a direct hit upon the Zeon mobile suit, and Dom's pilot was rocked back and forth, and quickly surveyed his mobile suit for a damage report. . The left arm was taken off completely, with the result of a hole where the shell cleaved directly through.

"Too bad. . I'm no rookie!"

"****!" The Dom attempted to move away from the attack, but a second shot ensured. . This shot pierced directly through the waist of the Dom, severing a majority of the circuits for it's right leg. . The Dom pilot was greeted with another forceful landing as the Dom violently fell into the murky water, with it's right leg twitching uncontrollably. The Dom struggled to regain it's composure, but it continued to slump up against the incline. . The Guncannon approached the Dom with one of it's machine guns aimed. . The Dom attempted to fire a shot, but the position the Dom was in prevented it from getting a clean shot, as the Guncannon just side stepped every shot the Dom fired. . Virocana on the other hand, was getting rather concerned about this. . Sure, she promised she wouldn't intervene, but somebody of her squadron was about to die. .

_No. . He'll make it out okay. ._ Virocana tried telling herself this. The Dom pilot was moving the joystick around franticly, even though every shot he committed, proved to be a failure. . The Guncannon was walking towards the Dom, possibly to mock the pilot. . The Dom was attempting to lift itself out of the water, and was nearly successful on doing so. The Guncannon kneeled down, as both of the machine guns met their mark. The Dom pilot expressed a deep sigh, before allowing his fingertips to leave the joysticks, and wander onto his lap. . The pilot looked downward, having an expression of regret, and failure. .

"Damn. . Who would have thought these new mobile suits would be this powerful. ." The machine guns focused on the cockpit, as the crosshairs aligned themselves onto the torso of the Dom, now baring a dark red coloration.

"Hmm. . I guess there was nothing to fear from these "Doms" after all. ." Immediately after the Guncannon had the Dom within it's sights, death was not far away. . From a counterattack from the Dom, the Dom fired one more bazooka shot. From the Guncannon's kneeling position, evasion would be impossible. The bazooka shot scored a direct hit on the Guncannon's shoulder pad, reducing it to a rain of shrapnel falling downwards onto the soft soil, clattering about the ground. The Guncannon stood, and aimed both of it's back cannons upon the Dom, as Avery grew weary of taunting his prey like this.

"Good. . But here's where it ends! G-" Avery was cut off. The transmission with his mobile suit hit into a dead static shock. Satoru ceased his movements elsewhere from the sound of some sort of weapon firing from across the battlefield. He turned his GM [G] around, and he was forced into mute horror. All of what he could see, was the Guncannon slump forward. From the distance he was at, he could see the clear hole through what was once the cockpit, which was molten at the sides. The mobile suit fell to it's knees, as it's eyes flickered on and off. With one more breath of life, electricity emitted from the Guncannon before disappearing in a bright, crimson flash.

Parts of the Guncannon flew everywhere. What was left of the mangled form was engulfed in the fire caused by the explosion. Satoru looked farther. The culprit was the Dom with the beam rifle. The damaged Dom was successfully lifting itself from the water, as both of the normal Dom's eyes trailed off, now glaring at Satoru's GM [G]. Besides the threat of double teaming, Satoru was forced into a quiet anger. Some sort of different presence was rising among Satoru's blood. His fist trembled, as he kept chanting something to himself. He remembered the times he's spent with Avery, as he was almost like his superior. There, a hardened veteran at battle, was taken down in a single shot from behind. He had no chance to move. .

Satoru slammed his fist on the control console, as now he had one more reason to hate the Zeon. . Automatically, the GM [G] went airborne, nearly defying all sort of logic. Satoru was spraying the ammo of the machine gun down upon any target he could muster like a mad man. The rage was going to his head, and he couldn't control it.

"You murderers. . You scum. . YOU MURDERERS!" Satoru screamed into the Dom channel. Both of the Dom pilots did not take him seriously though.

"Ah. . Look here. . This guy seems pretty angry. . We'll take care of this kid ma'am." The first Dom pilot said.

"Yeah. . Thanks for saving me though. ." The second one said, a little bit shaken due to the fact that he was nearly about to die. He thought that everything from here would be easy. Virocana was silent. She was observing Satoru's actions. The twin Doms were trying to circle in on Satoru, but his movements were so frantic and unpredictable, this would be impossible. One of the Doms fired off a bazooka shell, and as a response, Satoru manipulated his GM [G] into disappearing into the collection of trees in the background. Through the camouflaged position, he continued to fire off more machine gun shells. The shots inflicted damage onto the damaged Dom, as each shot dented the armor heavily, and with no left arm, it would be impossible for any sort of cover. .

"This fire is coming from everywhere!" The second pilot screamed. The first pilot was having a difficult time trying to obtain a lock. The GM [G] was not supposed to be pushed to limits such as these. It was too fast for the targeting computer, as the crosshairs flickered whenever it "thought" it had an affirmative lock, but then it took several seconds to track it, seconds that neither of the pilots had. Several bazooka shots were fired, but each of them hit a tree or some other obstacle in the background. Both were getting rather annoyed, as they could see the azure exhaust of the Federation mobile suit, but hitting it was something else. The Doms attempted to move forward, but a rain of machine gun fire changed their mind.

"Damn. . This guy is insane!" The Dom pilot fired one more bazooka round, and the result seemed to be positive. The pilot could see the visor of the GM [G] look towards the bazooka shell, and it failed to dodge. An explosion occurred, which was rather close. He could hear the "clang!" of machinery failing upon itself, and saw some shrapnel fly out from the explosion. The sound of the hydraulics of the GM [G] also ceased, giving off the impression that the target was dealt with. .

"We got him?" The second pilot asked.

"I don't think so. . The radar is acting crazy. I don't think the mobile suit is _supposed_ to move that fast." The Dom pilot was referring to the various red blimps flickering upon his radar. . The second Dom pilot sighed, obviously having enough for one day. .

"I think we should just-" The Dom pilot was forced into a scream of surprise, as the head of the GM was all he saw to the right display. He franticly moved the joysticks up and down, as the result was the Dom moving wildly. The GM [G] had it's machine gun discarded, but another weapon was in hand. . It appeared to be a blade of absolute energy. An I-Field kept the energy in place. Before the Dom pilot could react, the beam saber graced upon the robust armor of the Zeon mobile suit. From the top, through the middle, the GM [G] brought the beam saber downwards. . The Dom vibrated wildly, as systems were forced into a state of emergency. The Dom attempted to fire a bazooka shot, but the shot went behind the GM [G], due to how close it was, and hit the ground instead. The cockpit was soon the home of a super-heated mass of energy. The Dom ceased all movement from that moment. .

The second Dom fired a bazooka round at the GM [G]. Unexpectedly, the GM [G] moved the beam saber in hand, and thus moving the Dom along with it, in front of the mobile suit. The bazooka shot scored a direct hit onto the lifeless Dom's head, with it's fragments being shot off elsewhere. The enemy Dom moved backwards in surprise, completely out of options on what to do in this situation. The GM [G] directed the right arm of the lifeless Dom towards the enemy Dom. . And then, the GM [G] pulled back on the right hand of the lifeless Dom, firing it's bazooka. It hit the enemy with dead on accuracy. The torso collapsed on itself, killing it's pilot almost instantly. One could see a thick, single trail of blood spill out of the collapsed cockpit. Flames emitted from the Dom, as it fell backwards. It's ceremony, was a massive explosion.

Virocana was jolted back from the instant loss of both of her comrades, however. . She sensed some sort of fear, when she saw the GM [G], like a one-eyed devil, holding up what remained of the Dom by it's torso. . The GM [G] turned it's head towards the stealth Dom. . And then, Satoru charged onward. .

"You killed Avery!! I'll show you what it's like to lose a friend, you damn Zeon!!" Satoru screamed, as rage and anger completely possessed him at this point. . However, this wasn't just any case of anger. His eyes dilated forward, never leaving the Stealth Dom, as his once calm demeanor, and even his nice attitude completely vanished in place of a merciless demon.

****

Back at the Zeon skirmish outside of the forests, the _Bulldog_ was attempting to move forward. A trio of Zaku units had it pelted under fire. One of the triple barreled cannons attempted to fire a shot at the enemies, which ultimately resulted in failure, as the with each shot the _Bulldog _ gave, the Zakus just dodged them with cunning expertise. Something was awry, as the Zeon mobile suits were attempting to take down the two, unknown Federation mobile suits. The Gundam [G] fired a volley of machine-gun fire, and the Zaku dodged that as well. Another Zaku stepped forward, beckoning it's squadron forward with it's bazooka arm.

"Man. . Intelligence should be doing a better job. . The Feddies already have mobile suits!" The Zaku leader said. Lisa stepped forward in her Zaku, and fired off some rounds from her machine gun at the tank-like mobile suit. The volley did not affect the Guntank, much to Lisa's surprise, and the Guntank managed to fire off another shot after flinching from the Zaku's futile assault. Lisa manipulated her Zaku into ducking the blast, as one of the shells took off a bit off the spiked shoulder pad of the Zaku instantly. Lisa just released a breath of relief.

"These guys. . Are really powerful. ." Lisa said silently.

"Don't trip up! Our weapons have no effect, but there has to be a way to get in close!" The Zaku pilot withdrew it's machine gun, and pulled out a heat hawk. The blade of the small axe lit up with a orange aura. The Zaku raised it's heat hawk, and took into the air. Amelia manipulated her Gundam [G] into pulling out it's own beam saber, and them mobile suit just held it down, waiting for the right moment to strike. The Guntank attempted to fire as well, but the Zaku pilot moved his joystick to the left, and the Zaku boosted to the left in mid air due to the maneuverable rocket thrusters, that was something that Amelia never expected. The force of gravity took a toll on the pilot as he slammed down on the ground in front of the Guntank.

"Oh, ****!" Senra screamed, looking upon the Zaku with fear. 

"You're dead, boy." The Zaku pilot drove the Zaku's heat hawk through the right cannon of the Guntank. The Gundam [G] could not strike, given the massive, unintentional shield the Guntank was to the Zaku. After excessive force, the Zaku's heat hawk managed to pierce through one of the cannons. It's mono-eye glared towards the head of the Guntank. On instinct, the pilot assumed that must have been the cockpit. Before the Zaku could swing it's melee weapon upon the cockpit, ending the battle, both cannons fired. Without the barrel itself, the right cannon came out as a slug gun almost. At point blank, the shrapnel from the faulty cannon pierced through the Zaku itself. The Zaku pilot screamed, as the last thing he saw, was the area around him, filling with smoke. The Guntank backed up, not to be caught in the resulting explosion as the Zaku fell on it's back. . Sparks emitted from the fallen giant, and then, a bright crimson orb decimated it's remains. .

"Man. . Nearly messed up on that one. ." Senra said to himself. Amelia's Gundam [G] continued to advance, not letting her finger trail off from the trigger, or her crosshairs on the Zakus for a second.

"Senra, you're damaged. . Are you-" Amelia asked, and was interrupted by Senra.

"I'll be fine. . I still have at least one fully functional cannon. I can make it. ."

"Any word from Satoru and Avery?"

"None. . I hope they're not dead already. ." The two remaining Zakus jumped back, still trying to dodge the crossfire with all this commotion from the battle going on. .

"This is crazy! These suits aren't just pushovers. ." Lisa said to herself, figuring out the obvious a little bit too late.

"Man. . They're pushing us back. . And thanks to that idiot, the tank has a "new" weapon." The Zaku pilot said.

"What about the other ships?" Lisa asked about the situation, which was looking bleak.

"They're closing in. ." Not to far from the battle, a skirmish of a larger scale was occurring. Among the lines of the entirety of the 4th Division, three Zakus were attempting to hold them back. They knew it was a suicide attack, but they might as well try their best. One of the Zakus took airborne, attempting to land on top of another Big Tray. The Zaku succeeded, and was about to point it's machine gun directly on the bridge below it. A blue shot illuminated the horizon. The beam cannon mounted on the _Rivaway _ fired a third shot. The shot pierced through the Zaku instantly. Most of the upper fragments were vaporized instantly, as the legs fell back, triggering a small explosion on the wing of the victim Big Tray. One of the Zakus landed forward, taking a pause in the massive scale of crossfire. The Zaku beckoned for it's only remaining comrade with it's weapon hand, to attack the beam cannon no doubt.

"If we take care of that turret, that'll make our lives easier. . Let's go!" The other grunt pilot just obeyed as if he was an animal. Both of the Zakus rushed towards the _Rivaway_ at top speed. Several shots trailed off, while some hit mere centimeters from them that would have previously marked their death. That was taken into consideration of how the two Zakus were the only targets among the Federation line. The barrel of the _Rivaway _ rotated, and the beam cannon shifted downwards. Both of the Zeon pilots could see the electricity and particles gather at the tip of the beam cannon.

"We're almost there!" As the Zaku Commander manipulated his mobile suit towards the _Rivaway _, there was an error that he overlooked, one that would cost him his life. The triple barrel cannon beneath the beam cannon was still active, and it already achieved a lock. Before the commander could even react, the cannons fired simultaneously. The Commander was so well in hesitation, that his nerves couldn't grant him the ability to dodge. The cannons hit the Zaku dead on, nearly sending it flying in mid air. The grunt continued onwards, and drew his heat hawk. .

"If I do this. . I can be a hero!" Overconfidence was yet another down fall. . The grunt steered his Zaku up, as it jumped into the air. . He raised his heat hawk upwards, preparing for a strike. The beam cannon tilted it's tip upwards to fire at the airborne Zaku. The grunt was forced into a scream as the Zaku crashed onto the tip of the beam cannon, practically impelling itself upon it. The charge of the beam cannon overloaded the Zaku instantly. . The Zaku was violently shaking as the heat hawk dropped from it's hand, cutting apart some crucial wires along the beam cannon. As soon as the positive intake of energy began to commence, the beam cannon raised upward, with sparks shooting out of it. .

The sniper of the beam cannon jolted back, attempting to pull together what he was seeing. His monitor flickered out, as sparks shot out from all directions within the cockpit violently. . As glass shot around the cockpit from the exploding display, the pilot just shrieked, as the cockpit of the beam cannon exploded. . The beam cannon corrupted, as it was firing several rapid shots of energy into the air. The Zaku was shredded on the first shot, as it's torso and legs fell down. Wires connecting to the beam cannon was sparking out of control, as the stand of the beam rifle collapsed. The beam cannon fell down from the stand, still continuing to fire due to the error. A stray shot took out a nearby Big Tray out of pure accidental intention, and on the _Rivaway's _ bridge, chaos ensued.

"Sir! The circuits are overloading! We can't stop the beam cannon!" A crew member screamed.

"Oh hell. . What of the pilot?!" The Colonel asked. The entire Big Tray shook violently, as one by one, the display screens flickered and then ceased to be. The Colonel could hear massive ruptures within the frame.

"Pilot is dead sir, I've confirmed it!" A female crew member screamed.

"Generator heat rising. ." The male crew member said.

"Radiator cooling system failing. . The central circuits are overheating!!" The lights flickered, as the Colonel looked onward out of the display. He could hear an explosion come from within his ship from the bridge. . It was loud, and it shook the entire Earth-bound battleship. "Main Generator on the course to immediate melt down! Colonel, what should we do?" The Colonel looked off towards the distance, and took his hat off. There revealed a bald set of hair, and some white aged hair to the sides. He expressed a deep sigh before looking down. .

"We greet the new day we won't see. ." The crew was silent. . The last thing they felt, was the floor caving in under them. . The entire bridge of the _ Rivaway _ collapsed upon itself, as the base of the battleship erupted in flames. . From the distance, the scene shifts to the _ Bulldog _.

"Captain Tolen. . We've lost contact with the _ Rivaway . _The 4th Division is moving forward at full intensity. ." Leon said. As a result, Tolen just collapsed into his chair. .

"Odessa hasn't even started, and we're already having causalities. . What about our squadron?"

"Amelia's team is pushing the remaining two Zakus back. . Still no contact from Avery's team. ." Noyr said, and Tolen stood up.

"Tell Amelia to rap it up. . Make any emergency repairs to the mobility-gears. We're moving into the swamps ASAP!"

"Yes sir!" All of the crew members said simultaneously. The only remaining Zakus were attempting their best to thwart the threat of the Federation mobile suits. .

"Sir. . I have a transmission. ." Lisa said, in their only moment of rest within the battle. 

"From who?" The Leader asked.

"That- . . Virocana."

"Why hasn't her squadron made contact yet? We really need it. ."

"She said she ran into two more Federation mobile suits. . Her Doms were decimated. She's taking care of one more. ."

"Man. . Well. . At least all we have left are these two. ."

"I'm going to assist Virocana. ."

"No! You have to help me with this!" The Zeon leader pleaded. Lisa saw her chance to get at Virocana. . And nothing was going to stand in her way. . No matter how many court marshals it took. .

IF the witness lived. .

". . . **** you, old man." Lisa manipulated her Zaku in the opposite direction towards the forest. The _ Bulldog _didn't even bother to fire back. . The Zaku Leader screamed in frustration, as the two Federation mobile suits opened fire on the last remaining mobile suit. Lisa chuckled to herself, as she could hear a string of curses by her commander. . She heard static after, and an explosion occurred in the background. . "Long live the commander. . Ha. . Ha. . Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Now for that *****. ."

****

"What's wrong?! You're backing down? Why aren't you fighting?!" Satoru screamed in his motive of rage. Virocana contained a great amount of fear from the hostility the enemy mobile suit presented. The way it was fighting. . The way it took out two Doms. . It was just savage, like an animal on it's prey. Virocana had her hand over her forehead. . A cold sweat ran from her hair, still not getting adjusted to the air with her helmet off in the corner of the cockpit. The GM [G] took a step forward, with it's beam saber in hand. The Stealth Dom eased back, pointing it's beam rifle in a standard motion of caution.

Over on Satoru's end, a communication link opened. . Surprisingly with the enemy. . There, Satoru had the sight of a beautiful woman who seemed a little young, despite how old she really was. . She was panting, as her hand was still over her forehead. Satoru could grant no remorse, as anger fueled his senses completely.

"Get-Get away. . It's people like you. . Who'll make the sky fall. . You and your machine. . All of you. ." Virocana said quietly. Apparently, Satoru caught what the woman said, and saw it as a way to mock him.

"'People like me'"? How dare you talk down to me. . You murderer!" The GM [G] vaulted forward at top speed. . Satoru was screaming due to the intense amount of G forces upon his body. He manipulated his mobile suit into raising the beam saber upwards for a quick kill. Much to his surprise, the Stealth Dom fired a shot from the beam rifle. Satoru cursed on his fatal error, and tried to boost to the left. The rocket thrusters didn't allow a complete dodge, as the string of energy pierced through the right arm of the GM [G], directly where the joints were. After landing, the GM [G] promptly dropped the beam saber, as the arm fell down slightly, being held up by a collection of wires and a few joints and gears. The Stealth Dom eased forward, raising it's beam rifle.

"People like you need to be disposed of. . People who wield too much power. .You'll cause nothing but chaos [1]. ." It was like another presence entirely took over Virocana.

"Damn it. . I'm not done yet!" Satoru pushed the lever in his control scheme as far as it could go, and he could feel the rush of his mobile suit moving forward at top speed. Virocana froze for a moment, as the GM [G] outstretched one of it's legs. The amount of speed and momentum following the mobile suit helped the attack to be successful, as the GM [G] inflicted a patented kick upon the upper chest of the Stealth Dom. The Stealth Dom fell backwards, as Virocana was violently shaken around in the cockpit like a rag doll, or a dummy for a test car.

The GM [G] raised it's foot, about to stop on the cockpit of the Stealth Dom. Still having it's beam rifle in it's hand, the Dom raised it's weapon at lighting fast speed, and fired one shot. Satoru could not dodge, as he hesitated. The beam shot went through the foot, and a majority of the GM [G] upwards. The entire leg was spilt in half by a chain reaction of explosions, and the mobile suit fell downward, leaving what was left of the leg now a burnt slump of metal. The vibrations within the GM [G] were tense, and Satoru was swung around in the cockpit violently. A quick, yet heavy amount of pain filled Satoru when he collided into something within the cockpit, and the object jabbed into his already broken ribs. He winced in pain, but pushed onwards. The Stealth Dom stood up, and wasted no time on killing the enemy as quickly as possible. Another shot was fired from the lethal weapon, and the GM [G] boosted once more, along the ground. Satoru had no options on attacking, and fleeing was probably the course to go. The GM [G] was skidding along the ground, as Virocana fired another shot. . The GM [G] tried to block with it's left arm, but it ultimately went through it's arm, severing the only remaining arm. . Satoru slammed his fist on the control console, now facing his ultimate failure. . He was going to end in the same fate that Avery did. .

"No! No!! I refuse to die now! _Not here!_" The Stealth Dom raised it's beam rifle to confirm a kill. . However, a machine gun volley came from behind. . The volley managed to knock the beam rifle out of the hand of the Stealth Dom. . The beam rifle rolled on the ground, and hit the armor of the GM [G]. It's head looked down. . And Satoru counted his blessings. . If he could pull it off. The Stealth Dom turned around, to see a lone Zaku II pointing it's trademark machine gun at her.

"Pilot. . What is the meaning of this?" A portrait of Lisa generated on Virocana's screen. Virocana could hear the maniacal laughter that Lisa was doing.

"Heh heh. . The little ***** is stuck in a bad position. . Well. . I guess it's natural."

"Lisa? Why are you doing this?"

"Because you need to die. . You weren't worth anything anyway. Who cares if you're a newtype. . You're certainly not good at piloting. ."

"Lisa. . Why do you hate me? I've never done anything to you. ." Upon saying this, the GM [G] was attempting to get a hold on the beam rifle with it's only remaining foot.

"Who cares. . Apollo replaced me with you. . That's why you have to die. . Nobody, and I mean nobody gets _my _ man. . Besides. Who's going to know?" Lisa said, but Virocana lost her focus. She looked upon the assumedly "defeated" GM. With the only remaining energy that the beam rifle had in it, the GM [G] slammed it's remaining foot on the trigger. The tip of the beam rifle sparked, and then a golden shot was fired in the distance. Ultimately, it missed the Stealth Dom completely, but that wasn't the target. The beam pierced through a massive tree in the distance. . With a large hole through it's base, the tree tilted. While Virocana and Lisa were still in their discussion, Virocana looked to the side, wondering about the shot that was fired. Then, she looked up. . A massive tree was falling. To make matters worse, she hesitated. . Her senses froze, and she couldn't move her fingers. . She gasped at it, and tried to move her Stealth Dom. Lisa disappeared in the distance, but the tree fell completely on top of the Stealth Dom. The Dom fell to the ground, as the tree, with all it's weight, smashed the mid section of the Stealth Dom. . The Dom attempted moving, but it was trapped under the tree. . The Dom ceased all functions, as Virocana didn't have a method on getting out.

"I need to get back somehow. ." Virocana said to herself as she discarded all the obstacles that bided her to the mobile suit. The cockpit of the Dom was forced upwards, as outside, a heavy gust of wind ensued. Her helmet was cracked, along with some of the glass being cracked, limiting her view. Sparks shot all around the Dom, and even a few small electrical fires started. It wouldn't be easy, but Virocana saw a bit of hope left. . Until the legless GM boosted over to the Stealth Dom's location.

"I'll kill you. . I'll kill you. . You filthy Zeon. ." Satoru could see the woman in her live appearance, scared straight from the mangled titan towering above her. Satoru's head was burning, and his body was trembling as deep breathing obscured the random clicks and beeps within his cockpit. Some sort of rush conquered the boy, as he pushed the lever as far as it could go. He was attempting to ram the entire GM frame into Virocana, ultimately killing her. "I'll kill you!!"

Virocana gasped as the titan loomed even closer over her. Virocana could feel some sort of. . Connection to the pilot through this tense moment of danger. "Please don't!" A voice screamed out in Satoru's mind. The boy ceased his transactions, as his hands rushed to his head. Virocana looked up to the GM, who froze at the last second. .

_'Satoru, please. . Don't do this!'_ A voice cried out to Satoru. It was evident that it wasn't Virocana saying this, as the Zeon woman could hear the same voice in her head as well. The universe around them ceased to be. . The murky swamps broke around the two pilots like a shattered mirror, and a serene existence enveloped them. It was like space. . Just with several randomizations of different colors. Contact with the outside world ceased to be. . Even their mobile suits. Virocana could see a young boy of the age of 17 struggling.

"What the hell. . Get. . Get out of my head!" Satoru screamed to the direction of the voice. He threw his helmet off, which vanished into non-existence in the massive hallucination. Some sort of pain filled Satoru's presence. . But it was so familiar. 

_'Please don't kill her Satoru. She's one of us. She needs to stay alive.' _The voice said.

"Who. . Who are you?" Virocana asked, but expected no answer. The pain that snatched Satoru started to increase to the most unfathomable levels.

"Who. . Are you?" Satoru said, as the pain in his mind started to overtake, and conquer him in dominance. Satoru collapsed in the hallucination, which was really in the cockpit of the GM. In real time, the GM fell backwards, and remained lifeless. . As the hallucination around both of them ended, Virocana maintained her consciousness, and could hear the voice say one more thing.

_I'm just your guardian, sent by the Abandoned Ones. . Please. . Help him.'_ That was the last thing that this undeterred voice declared, as the hallucination broke. . All that was left was the swamp, with Virocana standing up. Virocana had the opportunity to run at this point. She could even hear the Federation approaching. . But she felt some sort of urge to follow on what the voice commanded.

"Help, him?" Virocana said to herself. . And there she was. She was the Victim of Circumstance. . And she was determined to make the best of it, and face her fate head strong. She couldn't decipher the voice. . But for once in her life, she could actually relate to it.

****

To Be Continued


	7. Act 7: Hatred Starts

Mobile Suit Gundam 0079: Where the Hero Fell…

Act 7: Hatred Starts. .

Start Date: 2/9/03

Finish Date: 2/24/03

Ukraine Land, Europe

November 8th, UC 0079

08:30 A.M.

The Battle of Odessa was just getting started. A nice symphony of gunshots filling the void within the skies were finally realized. Chaos was erupting on every turn, as massive land bound battleships drove through the light opposition. The resistance was light, consisting of tyrannical Zeon mobile suits in limited quantities. The 4th Division was in full force, as their own mobile suit forces were deployed. The land based GM, and Gundam models were fully utilize to the extreme, and nothing less than exceptional. Zaku mobile suits were brought down in heart beats, as the 4th Division went with it's follow through at full force. Just hours ago, they brought through the main Zeon defense line in the north, and ever since, the northern lines were forced into a panic and disorganized terror. The halcyon setting was shattered when a second EFF mop-up force was perusing not too far behind the 4th Division.

In one of the many battles occurring among the immense battlefield, a conflict between a Gundam [G] and a Zaku II was under way. The Zaku pilot was feeling hesitation running among his veins, mainly due to the fact that he has never trained with anti-mobile suit combat maneuvers. He drove his Zaku with excellent precision, even though the budding enemy pilot seemed much more skilled, given Federation mobile suits were still not on roll out. The Gundam [G] vaulted forward, with twin azure flames proving the extra precision the pilot needed. The pilot could feel the G forces pound on his fragile human form, something that he wasn't accustomed to. The Zaku's eye rotated to the left of the rapidly approaching Gundam look-alike.

"Oh ****, here he comes!" the Zaku pilot screamed to nobody in particular. Anxiety was filling his mind as he forced his Zaku forward, to face the enemy in a head on collision. "He'll never be able to get me!" Another line said to the invisible occupant. The Zaku raised it's machine gun in a combat-ready position, and a volley fired off at unheard speeds. The Gundam [G] faltered back, but didn't flinch in a major detail. The Gundam reached towards it's backpack to a component foreign to the Zaku pilot. The Gundam held the object in hand, as a direct stream of energy quickly emitted from it's captivity. The Zaku pilot gasped to himself, launching himself back in his chair to attempt to halt his mobile suit from the direct course.

"My first kill!" Screamed the Gundam pilot, as he drove his beam saber right in front of him. The Zaku pilot reached for it's melee weapon around the when the Gundam [G] pilot made it's swing. The Zaku pilot was a step slower though, as all that accompanied his death, was an ear-piercing scream. The beam sword struck through the cockpit, thus silencing the Zaku pilot from any more pain of death. The Gundam [G] forced it's leg into the ground, as it forced it's beam saber to the side. The plasma emitting from the super-heated sword was immense, as sparks emitted from the metal it was gorging against. Using excessive pressure on the slash, it was formally completed in a pose like fashion. The Gundam [G] held it's beam saber up, as the wrecked Zaku slumped forward. Several former parts flew into the horizon, as the Zaku violently erupted into flames, shadowing the Gundam [G]'s humanoid visage. As soon as the enemy destruction was confirmed, the blade of the saber cut itself off. The Gundam lifted it's arm, resetting the weapon in it's holstered position. Another mobile suit came within the vicinity of the Gundam [G]. It was yet another Gundam [G], whom was much more damaged than the first, just due to the various battle scars upon it's shoulder pad and torso. Both of the suits made a friendly comrade jester by lightly pounding their free fists with each other.

"Nice kill there, man." The second Gundam [G] pilot said. Both of them walked in the direction they should be advancing in. It would seem that even on a battlefield, good friends can converse.

"Yeah. Pretty hard for a first time, but it's pretty fun. ." The first Gundam [G] pilot said. He rubbed his forehead filled with sweat, and breathing in the stuffy air filling the confined cockpit. He could hear the battle still in the surroundings, and he was rather confident of every Zeon mobile suit he faced.

"Heh. . We're having those Zeeks running scared." The second Gundam [G] chattered onwards. It was a miracle why neither of them got killed in crossfire. . In the background, the Bulldog was passing. . 

The Bulldog was overly mellow and somber. Senra's Guntank had ensued emergency repairs, judging from the lopsided cannon it adored. The Guntank was upon one wing of the Bulldog, randomly firing it's shells upon any target that got close to the Bulldog. It would be expected that the 4th Division would be under chaos due to the sudden loss of the Colonel the previous night, but that wasn't the case. Command was immediately transferred to another leader, and the 4th Division kicked an even higher gear than when the Colonel was in the position of authority. The Bulldog was merely following orders. Upon the other wing, the Guncannon was kneeling downward, firing it's twin cannons wherever it need be. Inside the bridge, Tolen was absent, and the crew was managing their own. Satoru was absent from all present activities, and it was unknown where the remaining pilot was. .

"I'll ask you again. . Where is the escape point?" Inside one of the multitude of rooms within the battleships, some sort of assembly was taking place. The room was dark. . A head light creaked whenever it moved from right to left, and showed no presence of stopping. There was a table set up directly under the light, and there resided a figure on one side. The light reflected on the lone figure's face. It was Virocana, still fully dressed in her Zeonic uniform absent the helmet. Her face expressed that of dread and fear, as several unpleasant thoughts filled her brain. Her azure hair was a mess, and bags under her eyes formulated before the interrogation, signaling how far the Zeon was pushing her. On the other side, a shadowy figure sat. The light moved, and reflected on his face. It was a massively built Federation soldier. His face showed that the man was moderate when it came to age, and he had a goatee slightly growing. Behind him, two other figures stood. The light shined on their torsos, considering their upright position. One of them was Tolen. . Tolen had a straight face alike the one he always had. His face expressed that of boredom. . Another figure was a Federation soldier armed with an assault rifle. He ensured the peace, which meant the well good of the Federation interrogator.

"I. . I don't know. ." Virocana's eyes slowly trailed to the floor. Both of her hands were handcuffed, and promptly sitting within her lamp. They told her to be at ease, but it was very difficult to do so in this situation. The interrogator caught Virocana's eye movements, as he didn't leave her unattended for a second. The interrogator chuckled to himself. Obviously, "politeness" wasn't doing any better on getting Virocana to crack, so more persuasive methods would have to be used. .

"Miss. . Vivian. . I do hope you realize that your life is on the line. ." The interrogator leaned forward, folding his hands across the desk, and in turn, giving Virocana a stern look. She eased up in her chair, as her fear turned for the worst. "I don't give a damn about your interests. . And neither does the Federation. . You're expendable. Now, you might think different. If you actually hope on getting out of the war alive, it would be in your best interest to comply. ." There was the threats. Virocana just nodded in reply, silent like as if she was a child who just got scolded by a parent.

"Shin. ." Tolen's voice was cold and stale. Obviously, he wasn't up to his subordinate giving the subject ideal threats to have her crack and leak information. Two lines formatted on the edge of Tolen's mouth, signifying how intense his mood really was. "Just get to the point. . You're dragging in circles. ."

"Yes sir. ." Shin said in a mocking tone. Tolen caught that immediately, and grunted. Shin's status as an interrogator was on the line this moment, so he'd better not mess the chance up. Shin leaned back in his chair, toying with a pen that was in his pocket. Shin had already lost his nerve in trying to psyche Virocana out with threats. "Fine. . I'll try this again. . Where is the Zeon evacuation point? Surely they must have set at least one up. . I mean, they know that we're going to win. ." Shin's arrogance struck Virocana as she slightly went in an upright position, but who was she to get riled up about this war? Personally, she could care less, which is why she eased back once more. She just wanted to get the interrogation over with. .

"I. . Don't know. ." Virocana closed her eyes. Her tone was barely at the point of a whisper. Shin slammed both of his fists onto the table in a fit of frustration. Both of the observers behind him were taken in by the sudden outburst. Shin was always known to be prone to anger in his interrogations, which was a bad combination. The man cleared his raged façade, and also vacated his throat. After that, his voice was pretty brash, boarding along the line of extreme annoyance. 

_I'm getting fed up with this,_ Shin told himself. He stood up, as Virocana just looked at him in a puzzling manner."Miss Vivian. . Please stand up for me." Virocana obeyed Shin's command. It would be much quicker to just be the dog and follow orders, then rebel and end up getting shot because she defied the one who was stronger. The slender woman stood. Her sluggishness defined how tired she really was. Her arms dropped in front of her, as they were handcuffed to each other. As soon as Virocana stood, she felt some sort of object forced against her abdomen. She glanced down, there, Shin outstretched a gun, jamming the barrel in her soft flesh. It was painful, given the amount of pressure experienced in the mobile suit. Tolen just grunted, and buried his head within his hand, obviously ashamed of the matter at hand.

"You're not getting the situation. . I can kill you now, and throw your body out for the vultures to eat." Virocana cocked her eye at what Shin said, which just triggered the man into forcing the gun into her gut even harder than before. Virocana's level of fear was unfathomable at this moment, as her polite asseveration failed her. Tolen was more perplexed by the manner of Shin's "interrogation", but he wasn't going to step in until things got out of hand. Shin smirked, brandishing his gun like a child with a new toy. "I have this gun, and it can kill you slow. Now, unless you want to cough blood, you'd better cough up answers."

"But-" Virocana ceased functions, as Shin didn't expertly fire the gun in her stomach. Instead, he withdrew his hand, and violently punched Virocana in her stomach with her free arm. A scattered trail of saliva ejected from her mouth, as she lurched forward. It was near to an impossible task for her to regain her regular breathing. Tolen stepped forward, as Shin's expression regulated into an even more stern one. Virocana's head slumped on the table, as the pain was to great for even her to bare. . Her figure was womanly slender, but overly weak, not enough to withstand a punch from a muscle man. Her head was rested on the table, as Tolen could clearly see the tears flowing from her face. Perhaps Shin overdid it. . Shin lifted Virocana by her hair, and forced her back in the chair. She tried to use her hands as support, as Tolen could hear slight crying. The woman was like a child, and Shin was just being cruel.

"Heh heh. . Last chance. . Where. Is. The escape point." Shin waited a moment for the woman to regain her breathing, and drench her tears away. Shin pointed the gun at her forehead, obviously not playing about death being one of her options. After awhile, she just shook her head in a negative reply. Shin just grunted in frustration. It sounded like an animal for sorts. He increased the pressure on the gun, and tightly pressed the gun against her temple. Virocana's eyes widened. She was forced into a daze. . She was a newtype, but she didn't have super human abilities that would get her out of this bind. She'd rather just lay low and die. . "You've had your chance girl. . Too bad in these days, martyrs don't exist." Shin was just mere seconds from pulling the trigger. Virocana squinted her eyes, hoping that it would be short and painless. Just before death was impending, another entity intervened.

"Shin." Tolen's voice was excessively within the boundaries of enragement. Both of his hands were behind his back, and his voice was as cold as ice. This was something that nobody under his command was accustomed to, or knew how to deal with. Shin was no exception. The massive Federation interrogator stood up, sheathing his weapon in his chest pocket. He looked at Tolen in a curious manner, mainly in concerning on why Tolen interrupted the final act of the interrogation. "You're hereby relived of your "interrogation" duty. Get out, and take the soldier with you. . Leave us in peace." Shin gasped at what just came out of Tolen's mouth. It was a direct order, but Shin laughed out of term, throwing his arms up in a playful gesture. Shin might have thought that it was a joke to lighten the mood of the moment, but Tolen's eyes were still as hard as rock, as his eyes didn't leave Shin for a second, and his expression didn't change.

"C'mon, Captain. . You can't be serious. . We both know that we'll get nothing out of this wrench. We both know that if we kept her alive, she could operate as a Zeon spy! Just let me have the luxury of finishing her off." Shin laughed to himself even further. After a few, long moments of arduous silence, Tolen stepped forward. Shin was getting rather annoyed at this point, as by that moment, he completely forgot that Tolen was his superior. To Shin, Tolen was just another uncooperative subject. "No sir. . You cannot be serious about this. . Interrogating this girl on your own?"

"Oh, but I am. ." Tolen pulled a figure from the depths of his coat pocket as well. There, he outstretched yet another fully loaded weapon with the ability to end Shin's "invincible" life immediately. The soldier occupying the interrogation took a step back, but failed to draw a weapon on any of the occupants. With an itchy trigger finger in this current situation, the soldier would be on the run for his entire life. Shin withdrew his dominant stance, obviously backing down. Tolen didn't flinch, as his aim reeked with expertise. His eyes never dilated from the target, and it was apparent that Tolen wasn't christened the rank of a Captain if he didn't have exceptional battlefield skills. . Even if there are exceptions to the law.

"What? What is this? How can you. . . Sympathize with this woman?!" Shin yelled in excessive anger. His outburst cried for attention, as Shin looked around the room, to find that non-existent person to take up his side on the argument. Tolen chuckled to himself at Shin's child-like behavior. Shin looked around the room. There was the soldier, just looking at him in return with a strange method of doing so. The soldier's defensive stance implied that the soldier would back Tolen. Shin looked over to Virocana, who was coughing violently. Her handcuffed hands were rubbing her stomach, as her rapid breathing began to cease. Shin banged upon the floor with his boot-clad foot. There, he shuffled his way to the doorway, giving Tolen a look of disapproval. The gun in Tolen's hand never trailed away from Shin, which only in turn, made him even more angry. "Fine. . Do whatever in the hell you want, "Captain". I doubt you'll get anywhere were a trained interrogator failed. ."

"Don't worry about that," Tolen said. The smirk upon his face grew even bigger as a stale laugh escaped his lips. "You surely won't be doing any interrogating for awhile." Shin's expression was blank. His pale face turned crimson as his fist balled up in a sign of anger. A few veins appeared upon Shin's forehead, which questioned if the man should even be interrogating in the first place with his high anger level. . Even though it was anger that probably got him to become an alleged interrogator. To Tolen's point of view though, that was about to end.

"**** you, old man!!" Shin yelled at the top of his lungs, as he forced his way out of the dark room. Nearly toppling over the soldier in the way, Shin waited for the door to open. Because it wasn't taking long enough, Shin vented his rapidly rising anger by impacting a dent onto the metal door. Even Tolen was taken back by this as Shin quickly stepped out of the room. Tolen made a sign of relief by sighing deeply, then putting his weapon back in his coat pocket where it belonged. Tolen looked at Virocana, who couldn't make contact with the occupants at the other side of the table. . Her eyes were closed shut, but her spasms ceased, as the she was eventually overwhelming the pain on her own. Tolen looked at the soldier, who carried a blank expression.

"You'd better get going as well. ." Tolen said. His voice began to run stale itself as the soldier sluggishly nodded. He used the same sort of unearthly motion towards the door. The door slid open, and in turn, it shut. _Maybe I can make this work,_ is what Tolen told himself. He sat in the same seat that Shin was using. He held the dangling light in place, so it couldn't creak anymore. The spotlight was shining overhead the table, and both of the occupants had an equal share of light reflecting on them. His hands were folded amongst themselves, and Tolen started at Virocana. She couldn't help to give a glance at the Captain herself, but her trust in the Federation's "respectful" interrogation was voided. Shin's ordeal might have hurt the case rather than help. Virocana would not give Tolen a straight look though. The Captain gave her a moment to regain her breathing, until he began to talk. "Miss Vivian. . I apologize for my. . Subordinate's previous actions. It may be hard for you to accept, but please, just forget about what Shin did. He'll be facing the consequences soon enough. The matter had hand is crucial, and it's important that you tell us the escape point that the Zeon will retreat to if they lose Odessa."

There was a pause in between responses, as Virocana's response was dimmed. She hacked and coughed violently before stumbling out her own response to the matter. "Why. . Should I trust you? I did. . Nothing to you. . Yet you abuse me like this. ." Virocana coughed before she looked to the ground. She muttered something that Tolen could not understand. "Why do you hate me?"

"What is done is done. . If anything, I would give the shirt off my back in order to help you out, because I sympathize with your problem. ." Tolen said slowly. Virocana's expression was none the short of absolute bewilderment, as Tolen folded his hands as he leaned forward. This was an opportunity to get Virocana's respect. Not like she was naïve or anything, but the mere fact that Tolen presented Virocana as a confused woman, placed under an eviction that she should not be in. Tolen smiled, as Virocana's tensed form began to lighten and lift. Tolen's suddenly soft voice was but a murmur outside of the interrogation room. "Tell me. . Where do you originate from?"

"Where do I. ." Virocana trailed off. Her origin was solely not for the discussion of outsiders who had no regarding to the matter at hand. Especially a Federation Captain. However, Virocana looked at her options. . _If I'm ever going to see her again. . I'm going to have to live,_ Virocana thought to herself. She wanted to live to finish business not previously attended to, and she was bent on doing so. Besides, with her life in the clutches of the Federation, she was expendable, but at the same, invaluable. What did she have to lose if she didn't tell? Her life. "I am NT Experiment Number 298, Virocana Vivian. I come from the Flanagan Institute Lab Number 4. I am the highest ranking subject in my lab, which is why I was assigned to pilot the Stealth Dom."

_I don't believe the Zeon. . Using women like this for their dirty work, for newtype experiments?! These are humans. . But don't they have any shame? _If any bit more intensified, Tolen probably would have said these words out loud. A silent anger rose within him. Virocana seemed to be a nice, caring woman of a young age, contrary to how old she really was. Tolen coughed, attempting to suppress his anger for a future use elsewhere. "Why would you work for the Zeon as an experiment?"

"I. ." Her voice cracked. "They said if I would work under them for the remainder of my life, I would receive my memories back. . I have gotten fragments of my memory back over time, as I have been an experiment since before the war started. I want to know who I really am. ." After the woman mentioned these lines, Tolen leaned in even closer.

"Do you think you can regain your memories naturally?" Tolen asked. Virocana looked down to her lap, just containing her legs, and her cuffed hands.

"The doctors say that it'll take at least a decade for that to happen. ." Virocana said. Tolen leaned back, sighing deeply. At least Tolen uncovered a bit about Virocana's persona, and the reason why she acts the way she does. It wasn't like Tolen would ever use that to his advantage.

"I understand your position. . But are you willing to cooperate with us?" Tolen asked. Virocana shook her head in a negative reply. Tolen leaned back, accompanied by silence. Within this silence, was his mind playing an orchestra. Processing several thoughts on how he should go about this situation. Indeed he knew that newtypes were special beings, and not easy to come by. Tolen had tempting thoughts on replacing the late Avery with Virocana, given the circumstance that she's within. . It was shallow, but it may be the only way that things can properly play out. At least then, the _Bulldog_ would have crucial information on the Zeon's next move, which may affect the war drastically in the long run. Tolen leaned forward once again, to give Virocana the drill of the situation. 

"Very well. I see that you're not too open with me, Virocana." Tolen said. He stood up, as his form rocked the table. His form disappeared into the darkness that was not illuminated by the head light due to his dark uniform. Virocana could see his sickly wrinkled skin however, even though the low visibility. When Tolen was speaking his moves, his hand moved about the words, to put emphasize on them and to reach the woman. "On your attack, it has been confirmed that you've eliminated a Gundam [G] model. The man in that machine, was one of our pilots. Sure, they're pilots. . But they're humans. The 4th Division may be backing us with their suits, but that doesn't fill the gap left by that pilot's death. From your existence, I can see that there's always another side of the coin, granted what they do, might not always be right. So here, as a man, an oldtype, and a captain, I give you a request. You may stay alive, under some conditions. . You're going to have to break your connections with the Zeon. Also, you may stay on this ship as a military officer. . I may not have the clearance to do so. . But your "resume" will prove different."

"But. . Won't the others hate me? For the life I've took?" Virocana spoke. Her voice was once more barely above a whisper, but Tolen managed to hear it directly.

"They may. . But by being on this ship, you may pay retribution. You don't want to be hated, correct? Then maybe here, you can prove your worth. If at all possible, the Federation may be able to get your memories back. But you're going to be have to be willing to cooperate with us. . And by that, you're going to have to be open to us, like tell us anything we need to know. Do you understand, or do you chose death as your option?"

"I'll. ." Virocana swallowed. "I'll cooperate. ."

"Good. Good. Now. . Where is the Zeon escape point?" Tolen said. Virocana rose her head in question.

"Which escape point?" Virocana said in an innocent matter. Tolen raised a brow in complete surprise.

"The escape points have to be in the same vicinity, correct?"

"If they informed me correctly. . The spots are in numerous places. Do you require a list?" Virocana asked. Tolen sighed deeply, as obviously, this wasn't the answer he bargained for. The simple task of stopping the Zeon would be a bit more complicated than expected. Tolen just nodded, and the woman cleared her throat, attempting to pull together her memories. She pointed a finger on the desk where the light was shining. "This is Odessa. If I recall. ." She moved the finger up. "This is one escape point beyond Belarus."

"How does the Zeon expect to move beyond Federation territory?" Tolen asked.

"Underground passages and water ways." Virocana moved her finger down back to the assumed part of Odessa, and trailed it along to the right. From Tolen's visage, it was obvious that the woman preserved a keen, remarkable ability of geography. "Some are at the Russian border. The closest one to Odessa is near the Dnieper River. The craft carrying the leader of Odessa operations, Captain M'Quve's escape point, is unknown. Last, there are two near Simferopol."

"Dnieper Point. . I'll talk to my superiors and see how they will do this. It's obvious that the Federation will win this. ."

"What of my agreement?" Virocana asked impatiently. Tolen stood up, and walked off to the door. There, he flipped a few switches which promptly resulted in the overhead light turning on. Virocana glared at the distance, as she wasn't adjusted to the high degree of light within the room. "You promised me that I would have a place here if I told you what you needed to know. ."

"Well. That's true. And I'm not about to go back on my word. You'll have a place here, but for the moment. ." Tolen trailed off. The woman stood up, and began to stretch her limbs outward. She'd been sitting for so long, she was about to loose feeling in her arms and legs. The cuffs that bided her wrists together still proved of a nuisance. Tolen just folded his arms behind his back. "I'll have to work some things out. So, I'll show you to your room." Tolen pulled a key out of his pocket, and approached Virocana. He inserted the key into the slot, and then the cuffs unlatched themselves. It wasn't customary to possess such low-grade material like key handcuffs, but material constraints proved otherwise. There was a thick red band around Virocana's wrists were the cuffs were. That gave hint of her prior "treatment". "All you need to do, is just to follow me."

Virocana nodded, and the walk of death ensued. From the departure of the dark room, Virocana was given the sights that she had no obtained until recently. Activity. She saw Federation soldiers at every corner, doing their job, or if they weren't, they quickly went into a salute from the sight of Tolen passing by. In some ways, this was something Virocana didn't want, as with every person she saw, she got a weird stare in supply. Her Zeon piloting garb was still fresh, and the Zeon insignia gave away any discreet fashion the woman was attempting to portray. She could also hear the sound of battle, even through the metallic walls. The _Bulldog_ rocked whenever an explosion drew near, but it would appear the occupants got adjusted. She walked past a trio of Federation soldiers, and she could hear curses from them. Tolen just raised a hand to forget about the entire affair, but it stung Virocana's pride, which went back on why she agreed to stay on the ship anyway. 

At their destination, the dorms, Tolen went around several corners. The battleship was immense, and each hallway looked like the last. When Tolen froze in front of a dorm, the electronic door slid open. Both beings stepped inside. _This room. . Smells like. . Gunpowder,_ Virocana thought to herself. As soon as she entered, she heard a rhythm of clanging. Stepping in, Tolen took his hat off. As Virocana stepped in, she witnessed the sight of several boxes scattered all over. They were filled with magazines, guns, and items relating to that. Virocana saw a boy with black hair cleaning out one of the drawers. The boy ceased, and looked over towards Tolen and his guest. 

"Satoru. . Are you done yet?" Tolen asked. Satoru didn't even bother a salute.

"Not yet. ." Satoru's voice was very monotone. His facial expression seemed blank, and emotionless. He was throwing things out of the drawer, as they landed into the box, accompanied by a loud crash for everything he threw. His expression drew into a violent one as he looked straight at Virocana. She seemed like a beautiful woman at first, as her blue hair was alike that of the waves of the sea. However, the Zeon insignia that her suit adored seemed to shred that personification of the woman to be a cold hearted killer. Plus, the very person that he took in, was the one piloting the special Dom. The one who killed Avery, but the one who he managed to defeat somehow. By luck? Possibly. He stood up, as he frowned at the two of them. "Why, why is she still on board?"

"Well Satoru. . She's going to be the replacement pilot in Avery's place." Tolen said in a stern manner. Silence pervaded Satoru, as his fist balled up. He snarled as he shook his head in disagreement.

"A replacement. . A replacement?! Is that all pilots mean to you?!" He yelled. Virocana took a step back from the boy's sudden anger, but Tolen failed to falter an inch.

"No, but he's dead. Unless you plan on doing something about it." Tolen said. Satoru was silent, as Tolen began his move again. "There you go. We're fighting humans, not monsters-"

Satoru threw his arm out in anger. "The Zeon _are_ monsters!! All they do is kill without remorse. Kill citizens just for their morale. That's all they do! They don't regret it! They gas colonies for personal enjoyment, without putting themselves in the place of the victims! Even now, all they are concerned about is killing!!"

"I see. . But isn't that why you're here as well? To kill?"

"But. . That's different. ."

"It's no different. You're here killing murders. Does that make you any better?" Tolen said as his voice rose. Satoru was forced into submission, and defeat. "We'll talk no more of this. Virocana here will replace Avery and stay in this room. I expect you to cooperate with her. What's done is done, Avery's dead, and nothing is going to bring him back. Now, you can defy me, or you can go back to your Zeon killing. It's your choice." Tolen promptly turned, and walked into the opposite direction. Satoru sighed as he looked down, resuming his cleaning operations. Virocana was silent for the moment, as she tried to approach him.

"Get away from me. ." Satoru said, not even turning around to look at Virocana. The woman sat down on the ground, hugging her feet to her chest.

"Why do you hate me?" Virocana said. Satoru made a sound of disgust. After all, Virocana was like a child in this situation.

"Because all you do is kill. ." Satoru said.

"I don't want to go battle with the thought that I'm killing. ." Virocana said.

"Then how do you?"

"I don't want to go into battle. . That sortie was my first. I'm not used to all of this. . Despite how "different" they say I am. ." Virocana stood up, looking down at the boy who froze his activities. "What I feel is. . Fear. Fear that I'm ending another's life. That my existence denies the other's. I don't want the pleasure on ending other's lives. What do you think when going into battle?"

"Why should I tell you anything?" Satoru asked. Virocana closed her eyes.

"Because I'm capable of knowing regardless. However. . I don't think that method would be suitable." Virocana said. "By that. . They tell me that I'm one of the evolved humans. I don't have a place with anybody else."

"Evolved Humans. . Zeon Zum Deikun. . They're real?" Satoru asked in astonishment. He turned around, and saw Virocana. She was laughing at Satoru's reply, taking into consideration nobody has ever been concerned about her well being. At one point, she thought that all people were like her. That's where Dr. Ren came in and shielded Virocana from all things like that. Before that, she doesn't have a clue. 

"Yes. . I used to think there wasn't much different to us. . But now I'm not sure. When I was fighting your friend. . I was wondering, why couldn't he dodge all the shots that I could see coming? Why did he lack the reflexes I didn't? He was about to defeat one of my friends. . You see, I have a right to be angry as well. Neither of them were heartless. . They were just humans. They had a home to go to, they had a family to be with, and they had loved ones they wanted to see."

"I don't have any of that. . The Zeon took that all away from me. . Wait, why am I telling you this?"

"Have you told anybody else since then?" Virocana asked in a curious manner.

"I haven't. . Because I'll fix the problem myself. . I just wish I was as famous as the Gundam pilot. I wish I could be in his place. ."

"Are you sure? Perhaps the Gundam pilot is truly the hero in this case. . I'll let you decide. ." Satoru felt a foreign presence looming over him. The woman looked down towards Satoru, as he had a gun in his hand. One of Avery's revolvers. She put her hand on his shoulder, and felt an entirely different presence. Her touch was soft, but he felt some sort of dimension expanding from him. His body felt warm, and in a peaceful state. It wasn't a symptom from his body, but it was more coming from his mind. The feeling, was alike that of the assistance presence that he saw in battle. Something about him that made him an entirely different person. . It was also like the feeling when he was in Guru 10. . The sickening feeling he had, and the thousands of abruptly ending screams. It was much irregular for him, but as soon as Virocana's hand left his shoulder, he began to feel as he did previously, and simply disregarded the strange feeling.

_A peaceful presence for such a hostile boy. . I wonder, _Virocana thought to herself. She left the boy to himself as she went out the way she came. She was going to explore the ship, so that she wouldn't get lost. On the way out, she saw a small girl with black, shoulder length hair that went wild in several places. Virocana raised an eyebrow, and bent down to the girl's height. She was dressed in a green skirt and white shirt, obviously not of Federation decent. "Hello little girl. . Can I help you with anything?"

"No, I just need to see Satoru." The girl known as "One" said. Virocana smiled, and stood upward. However. . Through both of the women, a superior feeling took over. A strong shock jolted One, as she held her forehead. One felt her head burning, but then stepped away from Virocana. Virocana also felt the feeling, but it wasn't much different from her old tests. One stumbled back in fear. "No. . You're. . Get away. . Get away!!" One said as she took off in a dash. Virocana raised an eyebrow at the odd girl, and walked off. Satoru, who was silently behind the events, also took an odd note on it. .

"So many things are getting weird here. ."

*****

That fierce battle raged on for hours. That very day, countless soldiers died. The Federation was surely seeing their chances at victory right upon them, as their main hope to make the plan work, was _White Base. _The autonomous search and attack ship headed off in the opposite direction in order to throw off Zeon forces. Otherwise, the plan was an easy walk in the park. The 4th Division broke through all main lines of the ZMF Defense, and began it's attempts to attack Odessa directly. As one would expect, Zeon did not lie their and allow their precious Earth strong-hold to be apprehended so easily. The Zeon pilots fought for their lives, and even made desperate attempts for victory at the cost of their own lives, by doing kamikaze attacks. The _Bulldog_ suffered damage from a lone Zaku II, who collided it's own frame into the main hull in an attempt to stop at least one Big Tray. It was around 7:00 P.M., and the savage battle was still strong in the night sky. To make matters worse for the Zeon, the 3rd Division attacked from the Carpathian Mountains just hours before, placing them almost entirely in a pincer attack.

Meanwhile, at the Dnieper River, General Jackson's 13th Battalion was safe-guarding a zone crucial for future Zeon survival. Beyond the river, was nothing but grazing land, which in it's entirety, began to become much harsher in it's environment, given that Russia was not far. The 13th Battalion acted along many other straggling Zeon forces who were among the first to evacuate from Odessa. Near the river, a collection of Zaku II mobile suits, and even a few Gouf mobile suits maintained their time at the river bed. They all seemed to be setting up massive cylinders into the ground. A Zaku II held onto the top of the cylinder, resembling the shaft of an umbrella. It's hydraulics creaked, as it's arm forced downward, gorging the cylinder into the soil. As soon as the pillar was set, the Zaku II walked backwards. Three arms extended from the cylinder immediately, and a high pitched sound emitted from it. This must have been a radar cloaker or something to that degree, considering the other mobile suits were copying the same sort of pattern, all the way along the river bed.

From the limited point of Zeon activity, a mass array of light was focused in different directions. Banging and other noises were directed from every far reach of the horizon. In the distance, there was a massive structure where a majority of the headlights were focused. The figure appeared to be a shuttle, as the night visibility concealed the craft due to it's dark green coloration. Cargo was being loaded onto the shuttle, as a few Zaku II mobile suits assisted with the loading procedures. 

Focusing on the campground itself, several workers were running amok. They were all attempting to bide into the chaotic situation, and load the cargo on crates. One important load of cargo, was the frame of a mobile suit. It's interior was completely visible, as only it's frame was completed. One could see the wiring that made the mobile suit operational, and the skeleton of the suit itself. The trademark one-eye itself also wasn't completed, as the lens deviated off in succession. It's frame was an irregularity, and that was due to it's sleek appearance. 

"Set the Prototype Gelgoog! Man. . The guys upstairs will have our asses if we put a scratch on this thing. ." Said one of the workers. The workers were straining, to the assumed unnecessary effort being put into not damaging an uncompleted mobile suit. 

"Why are we even moving this thing? I thought Ridden already tested it. ." Said one worker who was on the ground. In the distance, he could hear the leader ranting off commands, but it wasn't like he was paying any attention. The person he was talking to replied.

"He might have. . But they want this thing in space for some reason." The second worker said. The first just held his head low. His physical fatigue was apparent from the lanky posture he had, and the massive bags beneath his eyes. All the worker could think of, was just getting off the slave driver of a job.

"I can't believe it'll be this mobile suit that can defeat the White One." The first worker said.

On a tent that wasn't too far from the main camp ground, there was Jackson. He was smoking a cigar while both Apollo, and Lisa where sitting in front of him. Jackson's legs were on top of a table while he enjoyed his recumbent position. He exhaled a deep trail of smoke from his mouth, and Apollo coughed. Lisa wasn't phased, as she was probably used to it, even though she didn't smoke. A map was on the table, as several points where marked in red. Tacks were littered across the map in various coast locations. Lisa couldn't make too much of eye contact towards Apollo as her latest "victory" over Virocana may or may not have a drastic affect on the newtype. Apollo has been discouraged ever since.

"Well. . I guess there's no use on crying over the dead. ." Jackson said. His voice wasn't impaired one bit by the heavy intake of tobacco, which was an odd thing in itself. Apollo sighed at Jackson's lack of interest on Virocana's faith. "Now. . I'm wondering if she survived or not."

"No way in hell she did. ." Lisa said. Jackson couldn't help but give a strange look at Lisa. Her actions where if anything, very strange. "That woman has to be dead."

"Why are you so bent on her dying? She probably survived. ." Jackson said, which in turn, provoked Lisa to flinch. Apollo was still sulking. .

"I'll get the Federation for this. ." Apollo said barely above the tone of a whisper. Jackson withdrew his feet down, as he lurched over the table.

"Now you slow down. You'll need all that energy for tomorrow. After all. . Tomorrow is where the real fight begins." Jackson leaned back in his chair, tipping it backwards to a slight degree. "What I mean is. . The retreat. It's going to be pretty frantic tomorrow."

"Now the only problem is if Apollo can do his job. ." Lisa said sternly. Knowing Apollo's nature, he didn't get worked up about Lisa. Instead, he might as well just drop his own verbal counterattack.

"You sure can't get the job done in bed. ." Apollo said. Apollo snickered when he said this, which caught Lisa into a mute period of rage. Jackson tried to conceal his mood of humor as well, if it wasn't for the trail of smoke emitting from his nose whenever he tried to hold his breath. Lisa then lashed out at Apollo for a pretty personal remark.

"Why you little. ." Lisa started, and was cut off by Jackson. By the latest inversion, Lisa sat down in her seat the moment she saw the least bit of activity from the General. Quickly forced into submission, Lisa folded her arms across her torso. A look of hostility stained her expression, not even giving Apollo a second glance. That comment however, did sting her emotions, as something like that wasn't a comment that any person should have to endure. . "Oh sure. . You let _him_ off the hook, but not me. ." The woman said in a monotone attempt. Jackson just gave a nonchalant representation.

"Both of your little arguments don't really have a place here, as I could care less what you do out my jurisdiction. Just as long as you don't bring in another soldier for me to take care of. ." Jackson seemed to get a bit of a chuckle at his comment, at which Apollo shared as well. Lisa on the other hand, did not share the humor out of it. Jackson coughed, as he tapped his cigar upon the map, emptying any excess waste or ashes that he already used up. The length of the cigar shortened dramatically as he did so. "The main concern is that Virocana is missing. . Not to mention that we lost all of our Doms in a single skirmish."

"Virocana is alive. . I can still sense her. ." Apollo said. Lisa jumped in her chair. Neither of the men caught the woman's action, but Lisa slumped once more in her seat. Things were going from bad to worse, and thoughts of dread overwhelmed her mind.

_She's still alive?! What if. . What if she saw me? My cover will be blown,_ Lisa thought to herself. What the woman committed earlier was an act of treachery that would have earned her some time in confinement. They would assume that Lisa was probably at the plot of Federation inversion, rather than at the whim of losing the one that she really wanted to be the special being to. Regardless of the consequences, Lisa hit Virocana's Dom anyway. It was even worse that she talked to Virocana, and she knew. If she ever went to Apollo. . Everything she tried to set up would be erased. There weren't any witnesses, and maybe Apollo was even wrong. . When it came to it, Lisa couldn't regret her dread, which led her to being silent in the conversation.

"Apollo has spoken. If she's still alive, wouldn't that mean that she's in Federation territory? And with her submissive personality. ." Jackson trailed off. A grin reached to both sides of his mouth as Apollo remained quiet. Already, the pilot could predict what the General was going to unravel. Jackson tapped his cigar on the table, confidently letting it discard more excess ashes onto the small pile on the map. Apollo even knew that his hopes on abating the General's mental refinements would prove to be futile in reality. "She's probably already talked. . God gives us hope once more." Jackson stood up, as Apollo peered up to the older man.

"God gives _us_ hope. . What do you mean?" Apollo asked.

"What I mean, is that we can use this opportunity to set a trap. The Federation expected Odessa retreat, and for sure, they'll be rushing to get here." Jackson replied. Apollo cocked his head to the side in a vexed manner.

"But. . What would telling the escape points do? The Federation would already know where they would evacuate by following the Zeon. . It was luck that we got out before the main force arrived." Apollo replied.

"Well. . I have experience in this field, Apollo. You may be a newtype, but you have much to learn in the backgrounds of a battle. It's better that they have the heads up, so they can organize their forces rather than come all disorganized. The forces are tied up at Odessa. If they wanted the HLV so badly, they would have came hours ago. They want to finish Odessa first, and move on. Otherwise, we still have a fighting chance. ." Jackson said. The old man turned, and began to walk out of the tent. In a disposition of respect, Lisa and Apollo both stood up, saluting. Jackson just raised his hand for the "at ease" beckoning. "I'm going to approve of the strategy to the other leaders. . Get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be hell." Jackson said. A silent departure ensued, as both Lisa and Apollo were walking to their tents. Apollo was farther ahead than Lisa, until the woman broke the silence.

"And why are you so silent?" Lisa's voice was tainted with the stream of annoyance, among other of those sort of negative feelings. Even more so resentment. "You're disappointed because you lost your girl? Get over it. Women come and go."

"And I'm sure all women are like you." Apollo stopped his trek, and turned around to face Lisa. Lisa's long blonde hair flapped in the wind, as her Zeon uniform shuffled along with the wind. Apollo's hair also blew along. He took a step back, and Lisa's expression turned for the worst.

"Huh. And I thought you didn't love me because of what? I'm not a newtype?" Lisa said sternly. Apollo backed off a bit, trying to attain her question for answering.

"No, that's not true. . That's not true at all. . I still love you, but why do you treat me so badly?" Apollo said softly. Lisa threw her arm out in frustration.

"You still love me?! Ha! Just what you said in that tent proves that I'm right. . You know it. You wanted Virocana because she was like you! She was a freak just like you! I'm just a normal woman, why can't you except that?" Lisa straight up yelled. Apollo's eyes deviated from Lisa's line of visage.

"I. . You wouldn't understand what it's like. ." Apollo said softly. Lisa stepped up, attempting to stand at his level.

"You're using that same excuse again, aren't you? Saying that I'm too inferior to understand. . Why don't you get off your high horse Samuel, when it comes down to it, newtypes have human traits as well. They make mistakes. . Just like Virocana did, eh?" Lisa used her act to her advantage, as now she was blaming the blunder on Virocana herself. Apollo still could not find a way to answer Lisa's questions directly. "What's the matter? Can't say anything?"

"I'm sorry, but. . You just. . You could never understand. The fear of becoming somebody else even foreign to myself. . Just because of the circumstances. . You'll never be able to understand." Apollo said as he turned in the opposite direction, and walked away. Lisa kicked the dirt hard, attempting to vent out her anger on some object without beating an actual human to death. She yelled and cursed at Apollo as he walked on, taking the stones, and baring the punishment.

"You know what, **** you Samuel! All you can do is love people like you, treating me like I'm inferior!! I hope you'll learn what it's like to be inferior!!" Tears started to pour down Lisa's cheeks, as she collapsed on the ground to her knees, planting her palms in the cold dirt. Her words were distorted and erratic as she seemed to speak to nobody in particular. "I love you. . Why can't you return that love back to me? What am I inferior to _her_ in?" Lisa began to cry even harder. Soldiers that looked, simply disregarded it, and passed onward. The feel of rejection overwhelmed Lisa, as she seemed like a child who lost her mother. . Unknown where to go, or how to take the path. . To herself, she thought, _What is the secret of the newtype? What makes them so superior to us? Superior to me?_

Cutting to the distance. . Things were about to get more out of hand than this, as the Battle of Odessa was about to draw to a close. .

****

To Be Continued


	8. Act 8: The Last Stand of Odessa

****

Act 8: The Last Stand of Odessa

Start Date: 4/21/03

Finish Date: 5/10/03

November 9th, UC 0079

7:30 A.M.

Pilot Samuel Apollo stood in front of a massive insignia of the Zeon propaganda. The star-like symbol was imposed on the outer shell of the Heavy Lifting Vehicle, the very robust piece of junk that he was about to risk his life for later during the day. Due to his naturally laid-back nature, he didn't care much about risking his life for a few supplies and the frame of Zeon's hope. Not many people knew what Apollo was fighting for in the first place, and it didn't help the fact that Apollo's answer was "The Movement". What Movement he was talking about was unknown. (But not unknown to the readers as Gundam fans)

"Samuel," a shrewd voice behind the blonde-haired man called. He knew that sultry voice well, and it was a dead giveaway when that person called Apollo by his first name. There, was Lisa Maes. For the longest time, the woman has been on a vindictive streak. Hell, some even called her psychotic, and the truth was, Lisa probably was. 

"Lisa.. I don't want to fight with you right now," Apollo inquired. Putting it straight, he just wasn't up to another emotional quarrel. It was too early in the morning for another soap-opera drama to occur. But for once, Lisa appeared polite, and civilized as she shook her head in negative reply, without ranting off on him. 

"No Apollo, that's not it," Lisa said. She tried deviating the subject on a point where she had some dramatic irony on. "Are you still worried about Virocana?" She asked. Apollo promptly shook his head.

"No," Apollo said. Lisa was the one surprised by that statement, since the night before, Apollo was pretty concerned about the mysterious woman. Apollo deeply sighed, and said, "I know she's alive, and she's probably happy where she is."

"I see," Lisa said to herself. There was a silence between the two of them. Lisa leaned upon the outer hull of the HLV at a reasonable distance from Apollo. From the altitude the two Zeon pilots were presently at, they could see the entire settlement before them. Trucks and crates were being loaded into their line of vision, or directly below the bridge they were on into the HLV. The woman could see endless plans of dirt as far as the eye could see, and the land could stretch. "It was just.. I thought you.. Replaced me with her, and so.. I got pretty angry at that." The woman continued. A raven crossed her line of sight, crowing away as it flapped, and rifted into the boundless sky. She looked down to her feet, and started to examine herself, even when Apollo was prolonging the conversation.

"Why would you get angry because of something like that?" Apollo asked. Lisa didn't look up, and made a fib that was suitable for Apollo.

"Well.. I just didn't.. Want to think that I was a bad lover for you, and-" Lisa continued on, until Apollo interrupted her half-lie, half-truth statement. The truth was, she had some sort of vendetta against newtypes, even though the man she loved was a newtype himself. She felt that the newtypes didn't have to act like they were superior to the oldtypes, and this superiority complex had a greater toll on Lisa. She could have just said that she felt guilty about not saving her former comrade Cabochon, but she could give a damn about him. That was 10 months ago. 

"Absolutely not.. It was just," Apollo said. He couldn't pinpoint it exactly. "Never mind," he said. The thought that crossed Apollo's mind was that a newtype would just 'know' if the person he or she loved was the right person, and frankly, he didn't feel any sort of specialty about Lisa, and therefore withdrew from her. However, Apollo never thought that Lisa would have an extremely fragile mentality, and was more of a glitch in the way. Regardless, Apollo thought that Lisa was a very nice person deep down. Or that's what _Apollo_ knew.

"I guess I understand," Lisa imposed silently. The two had no further words of consort to exchange, and both just watched the morning sky age. Lisa brushed off the side of her skirt of her dirt-covered uniform from various reasons, like the wind carrying dirt from the ground, and even leaning up against the sloppily constructed HLV. Apollo just watched the actions of the workers below, studying their every moves like he had some special importance for them. Both of the pilots looked to the side as the sound of the lift creaked up to their way. 

"So you two finally made up?" Exiting the lift, was General Andrew Jackson. His speech was impaired by the cigar in his mouth, and when he addressed the two pilots, a thick layer of smoke emitted from the captivity of his mouth. Behind him, the lift went automatically down to the ground again for further service. Jackson stepped towards his two little pawns, seemingly with no other business but to annoy them.

"What do you want to ask?" Apollo didn't bother for any sort of introductions, as he could careless about them. The man seemed to steal Lisa's statement before she could speak, so she just allowed Apollo to handle the situation.

"Straight to the point I see," Jackson said. Usually, Jackson had no business with his subordinates unless it was something they did that was worthy of the General's discipline policies, or to tell them something of grave importance. The length of the cigar drastically shortened, as the old man took a deep inhale. He blew smoke out of his mouth, and some even came out of the man's nose. Finding no further connectivity for the cigar, he grinded the lightened edge against a random metallic rafter, and then tossed it off the bridge into the yonder. "We do need some escorts for the HLV. After all, I'm taking the 13th Battalion into space."

"So you decide to tell that to us now?" Apollo asked. Jackson didn't care for the pilot's troubles, since he didn't have to pilot the sign of Zeon's war machine as a daily living. By Apollo's tone, he wasn't too concerned on the General's actions. "Before you start, it doesn't matter to me. I'll stay on Earth. After all, I need to get closer to that Gundam pilot." Apollo's motives were very mysterious to anybody who tried to figure it out that wasn't an all-knowing deity.

"What, you think you can relate to him?" Jackson laughed out of term from hearing himself mutter the leading words. Jackson took a deep breath, and expressed the next motive. "Well, I guess that case is solved. What about you little lady?" Jackson's attention deviated to the young woman, whom was currently in aloof. 

"I'll stay on Earth as well." Lisa replied. Both of the cases was sealed, and Jackson seemed distraught on loosing both of his pilots. Somehow, Lisa guessed correct on this matter, and brushed her blue hair back. "It's nothing personal at all, General. Somebody needs to make sure that Apollo doesn't kill himself out there." Lisa said in a jesting manner. Apollo didn't have much to counter that statement, so Jackson continued onward with the conversation.

"I understand. Well, since you're going to stay," the General reached into his uniform pocket, and pulled out an envelope that was in a pretty appalling condition. He outstretched his hand, and gave the letter to Apollo. Apollo scanned the letter with utmost curiosity, wondering how a single envelope could be in such bad condition, but overall trying to read the contents inside by holding it up to the sun. "Head to Africa after this. I don't care how you do it, but you're going to be doing some desert walking. Give the letter to a commander named Marai Gunner. She'll be your commanding officer after me."

"What relationship do you have to her?" Apollo implored to Jackson. Jackson was searching for a correct statement that would allow the pilots to get the point, but not reveal too much information about himself that is in truth, irrelevant.

"Let's just say, she's the reason I'm in the Zeon in the first place." The people in the 13th Battalion heard rumors that Jackson was originally on the Federation side before the war started. It had something to do with the unfair politics of the Federation, and relating to how Jackson was truly as spacenoid to begin with. Other than that, their General's past still remains an unsolved mystery. By Apollo's judgment, it shouldn't be solved. 

"What if we decide to run away from the military?" Lisa asked. That question was just out of her own curiosity, while Apollo thought it was an unnecessary question. The General laughed to himself by Lisa's question, and decided to tackle it for his own amusement.

"If you give Marai that letter, I'll make it worth your while. Especially after the war. That's how important it is," Jackson said to himself. A hint of emotion gleamed with his statement. "Since I can't do it myself, you're going to do it for me. You're like my messengers.. You could just lie, but I doubt that would work in this case. You're going to have to give her the letter and see. If you do.. I'll make you made pilots after the war. That's how urgent this is." Jackson said to himself. The General stepped to the side, leaning over the railing to scope the various workers below. Apollo and Lisa were completely unaware of the true cause of Jackson's sudden display of emotion. It was probably love for this Marai woman.

"How do you know that this war will end?" Apollo asked. Jackson remained dormant from his position, still prolonging the conversation.

"Zeon is getting weak.. Don't you see? The Gundam may just be too much for us. We're losing Odessa, and that means space is going to be the next target," Jackson said. The General didn't seem too fond of predicting loss as a result for his military affiliation. "With incompetent leaders like Captain M'Quve, I'm surprised that Odessa didn't totally go under yet. And from Lisa's report, the Federation are starting to produce mobile suits. Zeon can barley even feed us let alone take care of mass-produced Gundams. 

"Has M'Quve made any plans for the retreat?" Lisa asked. Jackson shook his head as one part of the answer.

"He just says to wait for it, and it'll make the Federation retreat. But I don't think anybody's going to trust that one. Not even the Black Trinary is enough to take down Gundam, especially now that they're a man short [1]. Anyway, as I was saying, give Marai that letter, and you'll be rewarded." Jackson said. Apollo sneered in reply.

"You know, this is the only moment where you're actually tolerable." Apollo said to Jackson, who in turn sighed.

"I suppose so, and this is the only time where I won't think of as an annoying bastard." Jackson said in return.

"Even now, you two are still at it?" Lisa asked. Both of the men grunted in reply, and Lisa just shrugged, leaving the matter alone. "Men are such babies," Lisa said. 

"It comes with age," Jackson said to himself in a serene state of mind. He pushed himself off from the railing, and walked his way back to the lift at a leisurely pace. The man pressed the up arrow of the control panel that was outside of where the lift's shaft was. With a few painful grinding noises, the lift was promptly beckoned. In the temporary lag between the transition, Jackson turned to face the two pilots again. "I probably won't be seeing you again after this moment. If there is anything of value, make sure to take it with you.. The attack is expected very soon." As the lift came up, Jackson stepped into it. "Good luck, pilots." Jackson lost the sight of his pilots as the lift descended, and it was the same of losing two, very crucial parts of his Battalion. His family.

"That was pretty sudden, wasn't it?" Lisa demanded of the man, who's attention was averted elsewhere. Apollo was the type who took everything in around them, and pondered them with great insight. The transfer to another Battalion, was a matter he could simply not discuss in human dialect. So with that matter unsolved, Apollo also went the path of his General, to descend among the lift. 

"I'm going to rest up in my Zaku.. Something tells me this is the last moment of peace we're going to have for a long time," Apollo said to Lisa. By what Apollo was saying, it was like he was truly concerned about the events about to unfold.

"Are you worried?" Lisa asked. It took the lapse of Lisa's question, to the lift presenting itself for the male pilot to find a suitable answer for such an easy question. 

"In this next mission, worried about you," the man said to himself as he rode the lift down. Lisa on the other hand, continued to lean up against the HLV's cold, thick metallic coating. She put her left hand over her head, trying to erase some motive of regret.

_Worried about me? If anything, you should be worried about yourself if you abandon me for another wretch again, _Lisa repeated over and over to herself mentally. The benevolent, and compassionate young woman known as Lisa Maes was just a lie; a charade for Apollo's better interest, that not even a newtype could for see. With those thoughts, the true Lisa exposed herself. The Lisa that would double-cross people on her own lines just to make a point to a woman, but yet, it was almost like she had a fear of being abandoned. _Virocana, it would be in your best interest if you just died along the way.._

****

To the bridge of the _Bulldog_, the drill remained the same. The same rhythmic bleeping of the various control consoles maintaining the massive battleship, and the same scattered chatter filled the void of silence within the bridge. To the crew, it was their time to relax. From the outside windows, the view of the fast moving plain of dust was the only thing in sight for miles. There were a few more other Big Tray ships in the vicinity, but they were performing the same autonomous duty that the _Bulldog_ was. The Captain of the ship was virtually absent. So without the orders of their Captain, the crew had to rely on common sense on the expectation of what Tolen expected of them. The sun was still early, dawning over the distance, but certainly not at the Zeon forces whom even now, were in deep turmoil from Odessa's situation.

"It's all the same since I got here.. This sky, the ground.. Nothing changes with the Earth." Satoru Hakiteki was leaning upon one of the display windows, with his right hand holding him up against it. From his notable soliloquy, not once presence actually took note of this. They were just committing their souls to their jobs with their utmost greatest ability, while Satoru was quietly speaking his thoughts aloud. "But with the military, people's minds are fickle."

"You mean.. Captain Tolen's sudden replacement of the late Avery?" From absolutely no corner of the Earth, the female pilot Amelia was standing along side of Satoru. For what reason the woman would accompany the already agonized pilot was intelligible at first.

"Exactly," Satoru said to Amelia, not even taking the moment to look behind to her. From the display, he could slightly see the woman's reflection. The woman's hair was tied up, most likely to be able to fit the strongly recommended helmet for mobile suit activity. From the look from her crimson hair, she had not the time to maintain it properly, due to the various rough edges and random strands falling out. "But I'm curious.. Why are you here with me?"

"Well, I still don't know you that well. However, because of your naturally impulsive attitude, you may still want to argue with Tolen," Amelia preached, and Satoru just sighed, slumping onto the display in his act of mental fatigue, even after a single sortie.

"You've read my mind," Satoru muttered, which Amelia didn't catch, and didn't bother. "How do you feel about this?"

"Well," Amelia looked to the side, and her brown eyes deviated to the artificial ground below her. She had to take into consideration that the woman probably truly didn't mean any harm. However, it was still one of her pilots that was killed. Then, another thought rang through. "I didn't really know him that well," Amelia began to say, but stopped while she was ahead when she saw Satoru look to the side. And his expression was nothing less than aggravated. 

"You didn't know him that well? He was one of us," Satoru attempted to say without yelling. If he wasn't on the bridge which required the moderate silence, he would be yelling for all in the battleship to hear. From the look of his face, he felt angered, but mostly confused because of the actions of the people he thought he knew well. "How come none of you will feel sympathy for him? We have the killer onboard, and nobody will do anything!" Satoru failed to catch himself in the act, as the occupants in the bridge eyed the two pilots curiously. With a few pushes and tugs, Amelia forced the conversation into the hallway outside of the bridge, with nobody insight but them.

"That won't bring him back. Besides, what about the people you killed? The fathers and mothers that you snatched away from families? We're in the military because we can't live any other way," Amelia said. But by Amelia's latter comment, Satoru failed to comprehend the deeper meaning to that one.

"What does that matter? Our friend was killed, and we just grant the she-devil who committed the crime a second chance! If they wanted to forgive her so badly, they should have just let out and find her way on her own," Satoru addressed. His eyes never left the line of vision of Amelia during the argument.

"So tell me, do you truly have some compassion for her?" Amelia asked. Satoru just muttered out his response.

"Compassion for a Zeon? Don't make me laugh. Those bastards don't deserve forgiveness for all the crimes that they caused," Satoru replied.

"What have the Zeon ever done to you?"

"They stole all of the things I ever cared for.. That's what they did! I wouldn't even be in this damn ship if it wasn't for the Zeon! Do you justify them gassing colonies of civilians and dropping colonies on Earth? Do you?" Satoru demanded of the woman. However, Amelia could not figure a reply, she could only listen to Satoru's ranting. "They claim that they fight for spacenoid independence, but the causalities inflicted the spacenoids the most! How can you sympathize with such a hypocritical force ruled by that dictator!?"

"Satoru, you have to understand.. There is no evil force. What Admiral Zabi did was wrong, no arguments against that. However, that doesn't mean that the underlings are just as evil. In fact, if you knew about Virocana's story, you'd sympathize with her instead of shooting at her like you're doing. She killed Avery, but she was forced to," Amelia said. "So why don't you ask her?"

"I refuse to ask that wretch anything. Damn it.. Damn Zeon-sympathizers." Satoru muttered under his breath before he walked on past Amelia. However, before Satoru completely vanished into the distance, Amelia had a little bit more to say to him.

"Before you go, and be honest, do you think it's possible that you can like Virocana?"

"Absolutely not." 

"I said, be honest." From Amelia's request, Satoru had to ponder the situation carefully. However, he was still very skeptical on the fact that she was one of the newtypes that he used to read about. The evolution of mankind. Satoru refused to consider the woman who killed one of his friends one of the souls who will lead mankind into a new age.

"I hate her for killing Avery.. But.. I feel as if some part of my mind is telling me to forgive her. I don't know what that feeling is, as I can't identify it myself. And it annoys me to no end."

"You're foolish to think that everybody thinks like you do," Amelia said, and she caught the sight of an angered Satoru walking down the corridor. A split second later, Tolen also came from the same corridor. Without any scars left from the argument. Tolen looked at Amelia in a curious manner, but could easily predict what just happened. Amelia stepped into the bridge through the electronic door, and Tolen followed.

"Was he still angry?" Tolen asked.

"Of course. That being said, people are thinking that you held Avery in low regard." Amelia said to herself, something that she could not bring herself to say in front of Satoru. Tolen looked around to the crew, whom was taking note of this. However, Tolen saw it as if he continued the conversation, he could secretly foreshadow his deeper motives.

"I told you about her origin."

"No. That's not what I mean at all. There has to be something deeper than what it seems.."

"I told you, I felt sorry for her.."

"Do you plan on using her just like the Zeon?" Amelia asked. That question took Tolen some deep pondering to answer honestly.

"I don't," Tolen said, seemingly still having more to say. "But somebody else is eager."

"Eager for what?" Amelia asked curiously.

"Eager to use the power. The power of a newtype. Plus, along with Miss Vivian, more unusual suspects are coming to surface. The Gundam pilot is one of the more obvious ones. I can't name any others considering that's classified information," Tolen addressed Amelia. Her reply, was a smirk to try to pry the secrets out of the Captain.

"Any others? Well, if you can't say that, at least tell of some of the people who thirst for the power." Amelia said, seemingly not knowing the true capabilities of a newtype. In fact, not many people for sure knew.

"I don't think you've read the works of Zeon Daikun. Newtypes are the evolution of man. Their souls, not weighed down by gravity, are now free to pursue new dreams. These newtypes were a myth, until the Zeon opened the Flanagan Institute [1], and actual testing ground for newtypes."

"What power does these newtypes have?"

"That, I don't know. Miss Vivian said that her officials identified her as a newtype. And I simply couldn't have left her to the guys upstairs. She'd never be able to get out of the war," Tolen said in a dreadful tone. "Or out of Federation hands to be more specific."

"So, have you told anybody about it?"

"Not me. But Shin did. You know Shin, the interrogator. You should see him in the brig." Tolen remembered Shin. His "interrogation" of the Zeon woman consisted of brutal, physical abuse which didn't help the situation. In fact, Shin was border lining on shooting the woman on the spot until Tolen intervened. 

"That tall guy. So, are those officials taking interest in your unit now?"

"Pretty much. That might greatly effect where we are sent after this mission. Either way, I wanted to keep her out of harms way because I sympathized with her. A case of déjà vu if you will."

"I see. Who's taking interest in her the most?"

"A man named Jamitov [1]," Tolen said. Amelia's eyes shot open when that man's name was spoken. Amelia attempted to contain herself in front of the Captain, and not reveal too much. From the situation, Amelia contained some sort of feelings for Jamitov. Whether it was love, or hate, those regions were left unanswered as the alarm struck through all vicinities of the ship.

"Sir, we've reached the Dnieper River. Command wants us to start the deployment." The Operation director, Leon said. As Tolen began barking orders, Amelia stood in the brig, as some sort of presence ate away at her stomach, being overcome with grief. However, whatever Amelia was thinking had no place in the present. She had to focus on the factor that Zeon's last stand in Europe was about to begin.

****

At that very moment, the Zeon force was dismay. Spies from afar reported the situation of the Federation's imminent sweep of the area. The scattered amount of Zeon forces attempting to load on cargo, or prepare the behemoth HLV for it's flee was distressing. The soldiers knew for a fact that the HLV had only so much room. Men from squadrons annihilated at Odessa found themselves helplessly at the retreat zone. The people who weren't piloting the mobile suits tried their best to help out as well.

"Commander, we're about to deploy," a man televised as a display addressed. Within Apollo's Zaku II mobile suit, the display settings were on. To the front, and to the sides of him, a perfectly simulated view of the chaotic surroundings through the point of view of the Zaku's single eye was laid out in front of him. Aside of him, a multitude of other Zakus ceased their kneeling posture, and joined Apollo in unison.

"Commander.. I don't want to be commander of all these rogue units," Apollo complained to himself. Apparently, Apollo didn't catch himself in the communication line, and it was a random soldier who replied to the comment.

"Sir, I know how you feel. But you're the best suitable one in this situation," the grunt soldier said, being honest to Apollo. "I know you can get us out of this situation." The communication ceased to be, and with a flick of switch on his console, a majority of communications were blocked except for the vital ones.

"Oh boy, what in the hell is the old man thinking?" Apollo asked himself out loud. Another bleep occurred within the Zaku. Looking at the tag on the corner of his display, he knew the assortment of numbers to identify Lisa. Apollo pressed another switch, and promptly accepted the woman's assumed bellowing. "What now, Lisa?"

"Just wondering what you plan on doing, Commander," Lisa said in a mocking tone. Apollo snickered to himself, attempting to joke along with Lisa.

"Well. Let me think here," Apollo said as he temporarily cut the conversation with his love interest short. Apollo opened a map that was previously installed in his basic operating system that coded all AI related operations within his mobile suit, like a computer system. There he was presented with the map of Europe. Longitudinal and longitudinal lines covered the map to the fullest extent, possibly to give the pilots the best possible coordinates if the need arose. Apollo already knew the origin of Federation attack, across the Dnieper River. "Hm. We have land mines set across the horizon," Apollo said to himself, but then, an idea struck him. Apollo turned his Zaku to the nearest ally with what he needed. "Hey, you, give me your cannon!"

"Yes sir!" Without delay, the other Zaku handed Apollo the long range cannon that was usually the standard outfit of Magella tanks. Apollo manipulated his Zaku onward, as a deep azure fog emitted from the Zaku's backpack. Momentarily, the Zaku was rifting above the soil. Lisa looked up curiously, wondering what the proclaimed commander was about to commit to.

"What are you going to do?" Lisa asked. 

"Simple. I'm going to play with them first, and get a positive recon. You guys hold position at the first mine field crossing, and make sure to be good targets," Apollo said without conveying the full extent of his plan. With one swoop, the Zaku was off at unfathomable speeds into the sky. Apollo was well adjusted to the G forces pounding against his form, in relation to the Zaku's main capabilities. Apollo made sure to keep his Zaku airborne, passing over a plain that was the assumed Zeon mine field. After moments of travel, he forced the Zaku into a momentary retire. Kneeling the Zaku down, his senses granted him a good vantage spot. He had a faint view of the river, and a multitude of large structures gathering. Apollo raised his cannon, and smirked.

"Let's play sniper. Let's see how good the Federation mobile suits really are when they seem cornered.."

****

There, was the much informed about Dnieper. It appeared just alike that of any other river, as it was entirely no spectacular site to make a special note of. It was just a river, proving yet another barricade of mother nature before the human tainted battleground ahead. The collection of battleships composing the 4th Division laid in dormancy, with their human runners in anticipation. The _Bulldog_, just being one of many within the Division, also laid in patience with it's companions. The bridge, was filled with scattered, yet silent scatter.

"Sir, I still haven't confirmed any opposition yet," Leon said within the bridge. Tolen, positioned in the commander's chair, peered onward at the environment in front of him. He had the view of the bridge and it's occupants in front of him, the river in front, and the endless wasteland enveloping beyond the horizon. "However, I have a big reading on the thermal scanner. It's the HLV, I'm sure of it," Leon confirmed twice, not doubting an object of the magnitude he was reading.

"We can't just charge into this," Tolen said to himself. With another bleep on the control console, Tolen looked to Leon's vicinity.

With precision, Leon read the message and said, "Sir, it's from the leading Big Tray unit. They want us to use the mobile suits to scout ahead forward." From Leon's message from command, Tolen simply sighed at their plan. From Tolen's point of view, it would be much easier to have the Big Tray units provide a rain of fire first, and then move in. The old man rubbed his forehead, that was slightly obscured by the Federation cap he was wearing. 

"Who are we to question them? Prepare the mobile suits for launch," Tolen commanded. With that order, Leon made the dispatch. Within the hangar, the mobile suits were configured for combat in a minimal amount of time. From using cranes to prepare the mobile suit's weapons, to fueling the various joints to allow the mobile suits to run fully functional. On a random lift with it's designation to the hangar itself, the pilots were standing around in a disorganized fashion. In the corner of the lift, Virocana looked to nothing that held much interest. Her eyes laid fixated on the moving wall with her back turned towards the pilots. Behind her back, Satoru managed to sneak in a whisper to Senra, both looking alike in their piloting uniforms.

"Hey, do you think that woman is leading us into a trap?" Satoru whispered into Senra's ear. Senra didn't know much of what to think of the Zeon woman being located onboard, especially after causing Satoru the trouble of killing off one of his friends. It wasn't the dilemma of Senra being a skirt chaser either in this situation. Senra just never could find the ability in the depths of his soul to hate the woman, and he didn't even know as much as Amelia did about Virocana. Satoru refused to bring Senra's matter to surface as much as possible, even though this comment.

"I doubt it. Retreating forces simply couldn't muster up the military ability to make a trap," Senra said, obviously not the answer that Satoru wanted to hear. He sighed to himself, and looked away to the former Zeon woman. Amelia on the other hand, seemed rather annoyed by Satoru's attitude.

"Satoru, will you just face the facts? She-" Amelia's sentence was cut off by a powerful outside force. An earthquake struck the entire ship it seemed. The pilots with the exception of Virocana lost their footing in the lift. With a few painful grinding noises, the lift dropped even faster than designated. Fear among the pilots of the aftereffect struck them as all binds of the lift were severed, and the block plummeted down. The force was alike that of several G's pushing onto their bodies. With one hard crash, the lift landed into the metallic flooring of the hangar. The pilots were nearly thrown out of the lift itself from the large crash, and they found themselves scattered. Amelia, rubbing her head struggled to stand, and a random worker approached to her aid.

"Lieutenant Keen!" The worker exclaimed. The woman's response were random assortments of grunts as she struggled to regain her pace in the world and suppress her dizziness. The lights in the hangar flickered, as there was a large dent in the ceiling above. "The Zeon are attacking us!" Simultaneously, the pilots forced their bodies to recover from the shock.

"We'll go now!" Amelia said as she rushed onward. To Satoru's point of view, the aftereffects from the sudden drop still took a great toll on his body. However, an image rushed through his head. Everything around him seemed to lag, as he just focused on Amelia. With all movement that defied logic, the boy moved at a quickened haste towards Amelia, in a movement that defied normal human reflexes.

"Look out!!" Those words escaped the barriers of Satoru's mentality as Amelia didn't even get the chance to fully turn around for an explanation. Senra didn't realize that overcame the boy, but Virocana did. Satoru pushed Amelia down on the ground, as she skidded some feet away. A surprise overcame the woman, but before she could demand an explanation, a large piece of shrapnel fell from the ceiling where the hole was. From a piece of debris that large, it would have killed Amelia in a gruesome manner on the spot. If it wasn't for Satoru, she would have lost her life. Now, she only had a medium-sized piece of shrapnel embedded deeply into her outstretched right leg. 

Amelia didn't even scream, and she didn't cry either. She showed the signs of a strong woman as she looked downwards to the damage on her body. From seeing the foreign object piercing into her leg, the pain suddenly increased a great deal before she even realized it. Instead of screaming out in shock, she just smirked, like somebody who was used to injuries like this. She put her thumb up to the pilots and said, "Ah! I've taken a lot worse injuries than this, but there's not time. The HLV is probably close to escaping, so you guys will have to move quickly. Lieutenant Virocana-"

"Miss Amelia, please do not call me of military rank. I do not wish to be affiliated with them, but I do want to help in this situation," Virocana said. Her tone was audible, but still rather soft compared to normal tones of speaking. Satoru didn't view the prediction of Virocana's position in any positive view whatsoever. Instead, Amelia just smiled towards Virocana.

"I understand. Virocana, if you can, can you lead them?" Amelia asked. With Virocana requesting of not being of military decent in a polite manner, it wouldn't be right to order her like Amelia was going to do. In response, Virocana nodded, and walked to her mobile suit, the poorly repaired Stealth Dom. Satoru and Senra scattered to their mobile suits, as Amelia thought to herself. _I'm sorry, but Satoru is going to have to realize that Virocana is truly a nice woman. Hell, this is what Avery probably even wanted. Even in hell,_ she thought.

"That woman is going to be commanding us? Great," Satoru muttered to himself. He saw the sight of Senra getting into the Guntank, and Virocana getting into her Dom. What he noticed about the Stealth Dom was that it was ripped completely of it's black armor, and had the original silver frame as it's coloration. It was armed with a damaged machine gun that was no doubt salvaged from Avery's Guncannon. Speaking of salvaged materials, the first thing that Satoru noticed was how vastly different his GM looked. Instead of the normal configuration, it's appearance was slightly more armored at it's torso, and it's visor was much more thinner. Plus, it had two cannons armed upward at it's waist.

"What in the hell happened to my GM?" Those were the only words that Satoru could muster as a worker along side of the cockpit peered at him. Satoru hopped into the cockpit, and the worker attempted to fulfill Satoru on the details.

"Oh sir, we could not salvage most of the parts from Ensign Davies' Guncannon," the soldier stopped in his sentence when he got the motion that Satoru wasn't paying attention. Satoru was calmly pressing buttons on the control console without making a glare to the worker. When Satoru put his helmet on, a statement was commanded, muffled by the helmet.

"Go on," Satoru said sternly.

"As I was saying, we knew that the GM was slightly more compatible with the Guncannon's parts than the Gundam [G] was. So we just decided to outfit your GM with a slightly new configuration. Just so we couldn't put the parts to waste," the worker addressed. Satoru said one more thing directed to the worker before the hatch began to close, leading to the only pathway to the cockpit compartment.

"What is it's name?" Satoru asked. The worker ducked down to a level where the door of the cockpit did not obscure his speech.

"The GM CA-Type." With those words, the cockpit door closed, and the three panels within the mobile suit came to life. Satoru had a complete view of all of the dimmed hangar, absent of any ceiling lights. Satoru folded his arms across his chest, and smirked in relation, or perhaps in a mocking tone about the unforeseen benevolence bestowed upon him.

"GM CA-Type… As long as it helps in battle, I don't care how ugly it becomes," Satoru said out loud to himself as the mobile suit jolted. Clamps holding the mobile suit in place originating from it's shoulders freed the titan, simultaneously greeted with the sight of the Guntank, and the damaged Stealth Dom whirling into activity. No further conversation was held, as with some painful screeching, the hangar doors were forced upwards. The mobile suits waddled their way forwards in the congested space. Through each step that the mobile suits took, the humans scattered from the scene, slightly hampered by the quakes the suits were making. Outside, the pilots were greeted with the early sky, somewhat shielded by the smoke that various Big Trays were giving off from the previous attack.

Back in the _Bulldog_, Amelia forced her way into the bridge. Everybody within the bridge, including Tolen, looked at the foreign visitor. A worker helped Amelia into the bridge, as all viewers immediately caught the sight of a crudely treated wound in her leg. Amelia beckoned the worker to make her way towards Leon. Leon looked up, not sure what the woman needed, or the situation in general.

"I need to use that communication link," Amelia said as if it was in her position to order around bridge manipulators. Leon looked back to Tolen in a puzzling manner, and the Captain just nodded his head in reply. He needed not of a study of the situation, and words were not needed. Amelia leaned up against the communications panel as her slave-like worker left the bridge and it's entirety. Holding up a microphone that was previously on Leon's head gear, she attempted to communicate with her squadron. "Miss Vivian.. Satoru, Senra, report in."

"Yes ma'am?" Virocana asked in a polite tune. She was distracted by the entire factor that there weren't any more deployed forces in an eye-sight range. The radar however, was heavily disrupted. That was something expected of all of the pilots that they had to cope with.

"Well. Due to our delay with the launch, the other two squads of three mobile suits went forward already. Whatever opposition they'll face, it'll be sure to follow back onto you," Amelia said. She took a look at her surroundings, and with the judgment, the woman conducted her orders. "The HLV is straight ahead, so the best I can do is order the forces forward. So just proceed, and look out for any Zeon forces trying to get a sneak hit." The communication line was severed willingly, and the pilots were forced to go about their orders.

"Well. We don't have much of a choice. Let us proceed," Virocana said in her usual tone. The Stealth Dom busted forward, almost like it was skating amongst the ground at lightning fast speeds. Speeds that neither the GM CA-Type or the Guntank could muster. Satoru found even more dispersion at the fact that the Guntank started to thread along the ground much faster than what the GM could run. Both of his squadron members were dusting Satoru and his sluggish mobile suit, and it wasn't like he could take to the air to increase time. With an audible sigh, Satoru discarded the discomfort granted by the helmet. He tossed the helmet into some corner within the cockpit, forgetting about the safety it allows altogether.

"Damn both of them.. Nobody but me seems to know what danger the Zeon impose," the boy said to himself. In his moment of his mental examination in relation to how others act, Satoru looked to the side, as something caught his eye. It was a Zeon Zaku, from what it appeared. It seemed to be a normal Zaku II, so the challenge wouldn't be that great. From the look of it's long range cannon, and the assumption on how far it was from the HLV, it probably was the one who caused the damage. The Zeon Zaku remained motionless for what seemed like hours, but truly nanoseconds. Satoru pressed the targeting button, but there wasn't anything for the crosshairs to lock onto. Nothing on the radar signified the Zaku's existence, and Satoru couldn't simply call it an illusion. "What the.. I was just looking at it. How did it.." Satoru promptly left the thought alone, feeling as if he was wasting enough time anyway. With a few pulls on his control levers, Satoru manipulated the GM CA-Type forward, into the wasteland by himself.

Deserted by his comrades who were much farther ahead, Satoru proceeded on his own. Azure hazes formulated at the GM's backpack, as twin powerful thrusts vaulted the GM CA-Type forward at high speeds. Much higher speeds than what the original GM [G] could muster.

****

Through the endless plains composing of the Ukraine region, three Federation mobile suits were making their way forward at a leisurely pace. They were all of the GM Type, but lacked the bulky appearance that the ground hugging GM [G] trademarked. The two GM units traveling behind the assumed leader, were armed with machine guns. The leader's GM was armed with a miniature weapon of unknown configuration. It must have been a prototype Beam Spray Gun, or a new Federation weapon that would emulate the powers of the Gundam's beam rifle on a much lesser, and cheaper degree. Every moment or so, the GM's head would shift to the right, and then to the left. They scouted their surroundings and saw no opposing forces. 

"This is Leader One to base. We haven't gotten a sight on the sniper yet, and we are continuing forward to the HLV," the leader reported to his home Big Tray. The image on the screen presented a woman with blonde hair. 

"Affirmative, Rick. Be careful out there," the woman said, as if she had some overbearing attachment to the pilot. It was probably love, the type of love that could bloom even on the frontlines.

"I'll be alright, honey," the leader said as he ended the transmission. Naturally, it was very dangerous to have lovers on the front line like this. As the GM team proceeded onward, the man known as Rick grunted in regards to the situation. "Where in the hell are Tolen's forces?" He said to his comrades.

"Oh, they're probably too coward to fight," the first comrade mentioned.

"Right. We can't let that bastard Tolen hog everything. We'll take care of the HLV ourselves, and we'll be treated as heroes," the second comrade said.

"Hah. Treated as heroes. Well, let's get to it!" The pilots rejoiced as they continued onwards to grasp their imaginary fame and glory. As the trio of giants marched onward, something loomed in the distance. A mobile suit was straggling not to far behind the squadron. From the sheer mass of the shadowy figure, it wasn't of Federation design. As it crept in closer in stealth, it's figure became apparent. It was a Zeon Zaku, complete with a Magella Cannon. It was no doubt Apollo's mobile suit, but due to the mass radio interference, Rick's squadron never had a chance. The Zaku vaulted forward at top speed, as it's pilot laid back in the pilot seat. His expression was that of a calm demeanor as a smile filled across his face. 

"Lisa, proceed forward to my signal. Leave the rest of the forces to guard the HLV. I'm going to have a little fun with these guys."

****

Not far from the final traces of Rick's squadron, Virocana and Senra continued onward in their mobile suits. By their hastened pace, they didn't even realize that they left Satoru in the distance. Virocana stopped, as the monoeye of the Stealth Dom twitched uncontrollably. Within the Dom's cockpit, Virocana directed the camera around, attempting to pinpoint the Zeon forces with her technology, and also with her gifted abilities. Senra's Guntank came to a complete stop, as it's caterpillar style legs ceased to rotate. The Guntank panned around, trying to locate Satoru's GM.

"Were did Satoru go?" Senra asked. Virocana also faced the direction opposite towards her. All she saw was the dirt that stretched as far as the eye could see.

"I don't know where he went to. Do you think we were going to fast?" Virocana asked. Senra just shrugged in reply.

"I'm not sure. Well, he has the ability to take care of himself well, so I wouldn't worry," Senra said. Virocana just sighed as she pulled back on one of the joysticks in the cockpit. The Stealth Dom quickly turned around to the direction it was once facing, and continued onward. Senra also directed the Guntank forward, as a loud bleep echoed in both of their cockpits. Virocana looked at the display message with curiosity, obviously unknown to what it was.

"What is-"

"It's a distress signal. Connect it," Senra commanded. Both of the pilots did so with a flick of a button. As a response, no character portrait was displayed. It was just static, and barely audible voices.

"This is…. Leader One to all….. Mobile Suits.. We….under.. Attack… This is just…. One Zaku… Bad… Dream-" The communication was promptly cut, as a series of explosions sounded over the horizon. Senra and Virocana immediately sprang into action, manipulating their mobile suits with excellent precision.

"It looks like the attack has started," Senra said. Virocana didn't offer much to the conversation as her Stealth Dom immediately traveled to the point of the distress signal. Senra didn't say anymore either, as the Guntank followed Virocana. _Satoru, please be safe. This is no game_,

****

Back at the final resting place of Rick's team, flames scored across the metal of the three GM units. All of them, were twisted in uncomfortable positions, with limbs and arms being bent backwards, defying the logic that it was supposed to go within. Massive holes were riddled throughout the GM units, and what was once the cockpits were now molten slumps of wreckage. No bodies could be easily identified without an extensive survey. The culprit of it all, was Samuel Apollo. Apollo's Zaku stood above the Federation mobile suits, as he was just smiling. Not of the death of the soldiers, but rather the Federation's battle strength.

"So, this is the Federation mobile suits I've been hearing about. You're powerful, but you're certainly no Gundam…" Apollo said to himself. The Magella Cannon that the Zaku was armed with, was badly damaged from the battle. What exactly Apollo did to win, was unknown. Judging from the wreckage, Apollo was a superb pilot. The Zaku's eye slid to the far left, as from behind, yet another presence entered the location of the fray. It was yet another Zaku, who's ownership belonged to Lisa Maes.

"You drag me out here, and you're already done?" Lisa asked. Apollo just smirked.

"I called you because I need your help to take care of some cruisers across the river," Apollo asked. Lisa sneered, as if they were acting like a real couple.

"What makes you think I'd do it?" Lisa asked.

"Because, we make a pretty good team, right?" Apollo asked. Lisa just smiled. 

_If you want a lover like this, you'll have to work for it,_ Lisa thought to herself. She had to go through many acts of treachery that would normally get her executed on the spot. Just to be with Apollo. True love or not, Lisa had an indefinite attachment with Apollo, even with her vendetta against newtypes. However, one object stood in front of her that would ruin everything she had achieved. Lisa was motionless at the sight of a Zeon Dom, and a Guntank, inclosing on them.

"Did the Federation steal a Zeon model? No.." Apollo glared closer. The irregular design of the Dom brought a bit of nostalgia to his mind. He remembered, that was the mobile suit that Virocana conducted. It was stripped of all it's painting, but it was no doubt her. Something overcame Apollo, something of joy. For Lisa, that was fairly opposite as she clutched the control sticks tightly. Lisa was not able to control her anger, as many thoughts came through her mind. "Lisa, that's Virocana! But what is she doing with a Federation model?" Lisa did not reply.

"That.. Little.. *****." Lisa said to herself in a tone of a whisper. It wasn't heard by Apollo, but anger was swelling in the woman. What if Virocana would turn Lisa in? The newtype woman is living proof that Lisa betrayed her. If that was so, Lisa would lose everything. Her rank, her rights, her life, and her lover. She wouldn't have it, not at all. As she was about to move her Zaku forward, a communication rang into both of the pilot's cockpits.

"That's from the HLV base," Apollo said to himself. Apollo accepted the reply, and lurched forward. The Zakus remained motionless, as the Federation mobile suits crept closer every passing moment. "This is Apollo. Come in, HQ."

"Sir, Federation mobile suits are already attacking us! We can't hold them back, these suits are too powerful! Commander-" The communication was cut, and Apollo turned back from the incoming enemy. Apollo withdrew his emotions, as he knew that the operation was taking a turn for the worst.

"Lisa, we need to go back, you heard the transmission, right?" Apollo asked. Lisa smiled, as this was the perfect opportunity to clean up a mess that she caused. Lisa was very confident on her victory, even though Virocana was in fact a newtype.

"You go back. I'll take care of the Feddies here," Lisa said.

"I can take care of them faster than you can. Please, let me do it," Apollo protested.

"You're a newtype. The HLV is our priority, and think of it this way. If you do a good job, they might let us go into space with them," Lisa said in a joking manner. Apollo started to laugh, but he was interrupted by a failed shot by the Guntank. Without any more delay, Apollo directed his Zaku back to the HLV base. "I love you Apollo," Lisa said in the transmission before the communication was promptly cut. She turned her Zaku forward, and faced two enemies. Looking at them more carefully, she saw that one of the Guntank's cannon's was improperly repaired. "That's that same mobile suit again!

"Okay, here we go!" Senra yelled as he tried to take aim on Lisa. Virocana also joined the fray, firing the machine gun with excellent precision. Lisa manipulated her Zaku's arm forward, as it's shoulder pad took the brunt end of the machine gun fire. Several dents were riddled into the Zaku's arm, and some even pierced through it. When the Guntank fired another volley, Lisa boosted to the side. 

"If I could just get rid of that tank.." Lisa muttered to herself. Lisa remembered that on the Zaku's waist, three grenades were positioned. With a flick of a button, the Zaku pulled out one of the grenades, and hurled it directly into the air. Lisa fired upon the Guntank with her mobile suit's machine gun, trying to force it according to her plan. "Well, if I can't destroy it.." Lisa said to herself as she stopped her attack, just at the moment that the grenade fell. An explosion occurred directly in front of the Guntank, as Virocana ceased her assault to watch. "I can just disable it."

"Oh ****!" Senra yelled as the Guntank plummeted forward into the Earth. The grenade exploded directly at the Guntank's base in front of it's treadmill, and left a ditch as a result. The Guntank fell into the ditch, unable to commit any movement. Senra frantically pushed on every control operator possible, but the Guntank twitched uncontrollably. He couldn't roll the Guntank out, because shrapnel was jammed into the crucial operating parts of the treadmill. Senra couldn't make the Guntank fly out, because there was some operating system incorrect that Senra couldn't comprehend. The truth was, the booster system was jammed as well. "Man.. That guy is good.. This damn piece of **** won't move!"

"Senra!" Virocana yelled, on the assault once again. Lisa forgot about the Guntank altogether, since due to it's angle, it could barely fire shots above the ground. Both Lisa and Virocana fired their machine guns, but it was clear that Virocana was the winner. Lisa's Zaku was being damaged by the rain of gunfire, while the Stealth Dom could easily escape any volley that violated it's defenses. Both of the mobile suits took the minute to reload their ammo, while Lisa took it upon herself to start even more trouble by communicating with Virocana. 

"Well, well well. Isn't the traitor.." Lisa said in a mocking tone. That comment put Virocana on the offensive. 

"You're calling me the traitor?" Virocana asked, as her Stealth Dom pointed it's freshly loaded machine gun at Lisa's Zaku, simultaneously the other way around for Lisa's actions. 

"You know, if you would have just stayed out of the military, or stay dead, we.. I wouldn't have this problem," The two mobile suits remained motionless, undisturbed by anything else in the surrounding area. 

"I have no time for this, Miss Lisa. Please, get out of my way," Virocana said. Lisa took the comment to more offense than originally intended.

"Right, the newtype thinks that she can order me around. I have a newtype of my own, so I'm not afraid of you!" Lisa yelled.

"Are you using Samuel for your personal interests? Are you using him to be your puppet?"

"Shut up, shut up!!" Lisa yelled, as she was forced into a frantic rage. She quickly raised the machine gun, and fired upon the Stealth Dom. Virocana was able to dodge the shots, considering Lisa's aim was getting worse and worse with every volley she fired and every moment that passed. The Stealth Dom made it's counterattack by firing it's own machine gun. The Federation model weapon was much stronger than the Zeon machine gun, and Lisa attempted to block the incoming fire with her arm. However, each shot did heavy damage, some shots ricocheted and hit other parts of the Zaku, others inflicted heavy damage. Lisa's Zaku kneeled down, steam erupting from it's vents as sparks shot and small fires upon the mobile suit started. The Stealth Dom skated up close to the Zaku, and pointed the machine gun at it's cockpit. 

"Lisa, please. I don't want to kill anybody else. Please, give up," Virocana said in a calm manner. 

"No.. No.. I refuse to give up.. I refuse.. To give up to a _freak!!!_" In Lisa's moment of rage, she went for the move of absolute desperation. She vaulted her Zaku forward as fast as it could go. She didn't care of the restraints of how badly damaged the Zaku would be if she did so. The Zaku collided into the Stealth Dom, which due to it's thermo thrusters, gave the Zaku even more thrust as the Dom skated backwards along the ground. Lisa did not let go of Virocana, until they were far enough along the battle field. The Zaku skid to a halt, but the recoil kept the Dom going. The Zaku tossed a grenade into the air, intended to hit the Stealth Dom, before revealing the purpose of the last attack to Virocana. "It's shame you have to die now. An oldtype beating a newtype. You may have the ability to see the future, but I have something that you don't have. Combat experience.." Lisa said, as the grenade struck. Virocana had a quick flash into the future before realizing her fate.

"A mine field?!" Those were the last words of the newtype woman heard by Lisa as the grenade struck the Stealth Dom. As a chain reaction, numerous explosions crawled throughout the ground in a massive radius. The back draft nearly knocked Lisa's Zaku off of it's footing, but Lisa enjoyed every moment of the sight she was observing. Flames scored everywhere among the ground, as shrapnel fell high from the sky. The mine field was supposed to be a trap for the Federation forces, even though the Federation did not fall for it. Lisa took advantage of Virocana's lack of combat abilities to lure her into the mine field. Lisa saw the molten, damaged fire of the Stealth Dom slump forward. It's head, and one of it's arms were gone, destroyed in the series of explosions. No pilot could have survived something like that, as Lisa laughed to nobody in general. A laugh of victory, a victory so that nobody would stand in the way of her goals. The laugh of the woman's insanity…

****

To Be Continued.

Author's Notes

[1] - The Flanagan Institute is the first institute for the study of Newtypes. However, it was for the most part, in Zeon control.

[2] - The man named Jamitov. Well, I cannot give this one away. Sure, the point of Author Notes is to point out the nostalgia and the connections to the original Gundam series.. But for all who know who Jamitov is. Well, you can expect on what's to come. For all who doesn't know, you'll find out later on. 


	9. Act 9: Crossroads

****

Act 9: Crossroads

Start Date: 5/20/03

Finish Date: 6/9/03

_I.. I actually killed her.._ In the aftermath of Lisa's skirmish, she was labeled victorious. She managed to defeat a Federation tank mobile suit, and an experimental Dom with her lone, battle scarred Zaku II. Not to mention the pilot of the Dom was actually a very powerful newtype, on which her inability to know proper combat essentials actually rewarded Virocana's downfall. Instead of Lisa feeling good about her piloting ability like even the hardened of Zeon pilots should, her guilt instead overwhelmed her.

_I really killed her.. A normal human killed a newtype…_ Her thoughts persisted, as she rested motionless in the cockpit. Her Zaku skated along the ground with the aid of it's thrusters, heading to the direction of the HLV. However, to her, the trip to the HLV base had never taken any longer. Her fingertips trembled on the twin joysticks, as her guilt continued to beat her into submission. 

"I had to do it.. She was a freak," the woman told herself. Through an act pointing to her condition, she began to laugh out loud in the cockpit to no life form in particular. She found it funny, funny how she was actually worrying about what she did. After all, she would just tell herself that she did it for the sake of Apollo. Apollo needed Lisa, not Virocana… Some tears could be sighted at the edge of her eyes, as she continued to laugh. Her laugh exponentially turned into a twisted, maniacal laugh.

"I'm… Using him? Hah.. You can't tell me that, because you're dead now... You can't tell me anything, you snobby *****," Lisa told herself, her speech being impaired by her laughter, and her sorrow. She continued to laugh, trying to overcome her decreasing guilt. The sad thing was, everything about her that Virocana said was actually true, and Lisa didn't even know. The Zaku came to a complete halt, as she took a moment to calm herself down. With a few adjustments on the console, she attempted to establish a communication link with Apollo.

"Apollo! Apollo!" She called out in the communication link. The only response that she got, was static, and the occasional sound of gunfire. Lisa's fist collided into the control console of the Zaku, causing a crack in the plastic that she failed to see. The pain did not affect her, as her frustration took over. The moment she lifted her balled hand off the control console, the radar bleep wildly. "What the..." Lisa turned around to the origin of the signal, but her Zaku was vaulted backwards before she could even pull together the events. The Zaku fell to the ground hard, as more damaged ensued to the already defunct machine. The woman sighed after being sung around like a rag doll, and looked to the origin of the shot.

There, the GM-CA Type stood. It's signature was unknown to Lisa, as her radar gave off no serial number of the mobile suit. In fact, she had never seen a mobile suit of that configuration before. At the GM's waist, twin cannons remained aimed upon Lisa's Zaku. With one click, Lisa's eyes widened, as the cannons fired simultaneously. Without having anytime to ponder about her response, she floored her pedals , which launched the Zaku into the air.

"I missed!" Satoru cursed to himself as he continued to fire the cannons at the airborne Zaku.

"I just turn my back for a second and…" Lisa trailed off as she forced her Zaku to her right to avoid the cannon fire. The Gs forced upon her body from that one sharp turn was bound to make any inexperienced pilot experience motion sickness. She breathed loudly in response to the hard landing the Zaku had to endure. From the cockpit, she could even hear gears and hydraulics failing to function, and grinding. "…this happens. This Zaku can't even take another fight much less defend a platoon…" Lisa cursed on her luck, on how Virocana did her in even after death.

"You won't get away, Zeon!" Satoru yelled out loud as he forced his GM at twelve o' clock at top speed. As the GM closed in on Lisa's Zaku at remarkable speed, Lisa made a decision that would ensure her life. Escaping.

"****… I have to get out of here…" Lisa told herself as she sharply turned her Zaku around, and used her thrusters to take to the air. From the air, several parts from Lisa's Zaku fell to the ground, some of them falling on Satoru's GM CA Type. As he saw the Zaku trying to escape, Satoru decided to not let the opportunity get past him. Satoru pressed the pedals downward, and drove his mobile suit with amazing vigor to trail Lisa's Zaku. "I think I got rid of that Feddie…" Lisa said to herself in a sign of relief. She detected no gunfire from her adversary, but by the time she got a glimpse of her rear-view display above her, it was too late…

"I'll get you!!" Satoru screamed out, as pure adrenaline fueled his actions. The GM CA-Type collided into the back of the Zaku as if it were a tackle. Lisa was shaken like a poor rag doll, as it was completely out of her power to free the damaged Zaku from the Federation model's grip. Still airborne, Lisa tried for a higher altitude, but that just made the situation even worse… The two mobile suits fell vertically into the distance, straight to the HLV base. From the distance, both locked figures looked as if they were a falling comet…

****

"What part of that did you not understand? Is my squadron okay?" Back in the _Bulldog_, tension was rising in the bridge. Not of the battle, but rather Amelia's ever increasing aggravation. Usually, Amelia could keep calm under any circumstance, but evidently not a situation like this. Amelia stood over Leon, who was frantically pressing buttons on the control console in absolute panic of the woman's hostile response.

"Would you believe…" Leon trailed off as he did the same procedure of scanning the battlefield of Federation signatures. When the procedure was finished, he got the same result that he received the last three times he tried it. "…I'm not sure?"

"What kind of answer is that?!" Amelia yelled. In this sort of situation, Tolen knew better than to step in. Amelia was a calm woman, but she was seriously worried about her rebels of a mobile suit squad. She thought of no offense against Virocana, but Amelia did think that it might have not been of the best choices to allow her to command the squadron. _I should have followed my instincts… Those eyes of her's aren't used to battle. Great… I really screwed up this time…_ As she drowned herself in her thoughts, a beep sounded at Leon's console.

"Who is that?" Tolen asked, breaking out of his silence.

"That's… Ensign Rail?" Leon looked back to Tolen, as in a non-verbal exchange, the Captain just nodded his head. Leon once more began to man the communication machine, and on his screen, a portrait of Senra formulated. His helmet was off, and his blue hair was in a mess. "Ensign Rail, what is the situation?" Leon asked. Amelia swiftly moved herself to Leon's screen, and nearly pushed him out of the way.

"Well.. Things are not too good here…" Senra said, and Amelia's reply game him no time to continue on.

"Wait, where are Satoru and Virocana? You are supposed to be moving out as a squad, not independently," Amelia said. Suddenly, several thoughts of dread crossed her mind. She was expecting that both of them died already.

"I have no idea where Satoru is… We were moving too fast and lost track of him."

"And Virocana?"

"A Zaku attacked us, and then I lost sight of both of them. That same Zaku damaged my Guntank to the point where it can't move," Senra said. There was a silence among Amelia, and a silence among Tolen as well.

"I see… Just stay put until the battle is over. Lieutenant Keen, out," Amelia said. Apparently, Senra had once more thing to say.

"You say jump, we say how high," Senra said in a jesting manner. Even in a situation like this, he still manages to find the time to joke about things. With that said, Leon closed the communication. No further words from Amelia could be exchanged from Amelia as she looked to Tolen. He too, couldn't put the situation to words. Through the both of them, a mutual understanding formed. Newtypes aren't the most powerful beings on the planet after all…

"Captain," Amelia said, breaking the silence. "Do you think that Virocana is really dead?"

"We have no true verification of her death at the moment. For all we know, Virocana probably lost her suit in the battle," Tolen said. The Captain coughed loudly when another idea crossed his mind. Normally, it would be a ridiculous thing to say. However, in this situation, what the Captain was about to say would be plausible. "But this sounds suspicious.. Do you think that-" Amelia immediately cut of Tolen in mid sentence. 

"No! Satoru would never do such a thing… He may hate the Zeon, but he would never do anything like that," the woman said softly. As much as she tried to deny the fact, some minuscule part of her mind and better judgment declared that what Tolen said was probably true. "At least, I hope he wouldn't…"

****

The battle for the HLV continued on for what seemed like hours. The main skirmish took place at the footing of the crater, leading to the center where the HLV was located. The Federation deployed GM units, Guncannons, Guntanks, and even a few Gundam limited production units were seen scattered around the crater. The platoon of Federation mobile suits took the Zeon by storm, as none of then had any idea that so many mobile suits would be deployed so quickly in a stealth-like manner.

"Deploy, deploy!" One Federation squad leader screamed out to his comrades. Within his Gundam [G], he pressed a button on his control scheme, and the mobile suit pulled the trigger to his weapon; the beam rifle that the Gundam was armed with, complete with a shield in it's left hand. A purple-ish beam fired from the beam rifle at an enemy Zaku II in front of them. Due to the beam's speed, it pierced directly through the shoulder of the Zaku II, not destroying it, but damaging it.

"Here's our chance!" One of his two allies, each piloting a GM [G] exclaimed. Both took the opportunity to advance forward, so that squad skid down the deep incline of the crater. Both of the GM units attacked the damaged Zaku II with their machine guns, which definitely marked a kill. As they continued on, they could hear a sound of a booming explosion, and saw the light at the corner of their eyes. 

"Quick, get cover!" The squad leader shouted out to his allies. Now at the base of the crater, the enemy attack was solely focused upon them. Other Federation squads saw this as the opportunity to also descend the crater and try to surround the Zeon. Soon, nearly all of the Federation mobile suits were skidding down the crater incline. Back to the squad that was taking the most punishment, the trio of mobile suits quickly took cover behind some barracks and an armory building. Zeon fire increased even on their own materials, since they knew they would die anyway, and it would be better if the Federation could not get their materials intact. 

_Things are looking bad out here… Where in the world is Lisa?_ Apollo asked himself. Even through his voice through his own thoughts, a bit of nervousness tainted his feelings. That greatly differed from the calm demeanor Apollo usually was in, and hinted to how much he was really worried about Lisa. However, not keeping his focus in battle nearly caused his downfall, as a GM [G] with a beam rifle nearly got a kill off of Apollo. Apollo barely sidestepped the beam at the last minute with his Zaku II, and it instead hit a random barrack in the distance. 

"These Federation mobile suits are absolute monsters…" Apollo said to himself out loud, as a mental reminder to not get taken in by the enemy mobile suits. He manipulated his Zaku II into trudging onward towards the GM that threatened his life. The GM [G] boosted back, and tried to fire a few more beam rifle shots at the Zaku II. Apollo side-stepped all of the blasts, by cutting his engines, allowing his Zaku to slide in the direction needed, and continued onward. The fact that this beam rifle had poor tracking added to his advantage. "I got you now!" Apollo said as he raised his 180 MM Cannon for a physical attack.

"Damnit!" The young GM [G] pilot yelled as he floored both of the pedals to his mobile suit. Adding to Apollo's surprise, the GM [G] activated it's thrusters at full power, managing to boost back far enough to get a good firing range once more. The GM [G]'s maneuvering was much more superior than Apollo's old Zaku II, but Apollo was a newtype, who could hold his own no matter how outdated the mobile suit he used was. The GM [G] raised it's beam rifle, and fired another shot. Apollo ducked this time, and it hit an ally from affair.

_If I had the S-Type Zaku, I could win this easily…_ Now Apollo doubted he would get out of the situation. Despite how powerful of a newtype he was, he was facing a combat machine he had never seen before used in the hands of a capable pilot with great potential, who could easily release the GM [G]'s full potential. "There's nothing much I can do here, but just go for it!" Apollo said to himself as he drew the Zaku's heat hawk, and continued forward. The GM [G] pilot continued to rely on the beam rifle, as each shot came out to a miss. When the GM [G] tried to draw it's beam saber, it was too late. Apollo's Zaku II forced it's heat hawk directly on the cockpit… The young pilot meeting an unfortunate end at the end of a massive blade, and the GM [G] ceased to function.

"Commander, are you still alive?! Commander!" a voice rang out into Apollo's control console. Apollo at first hoped it was Lisa, but his hopes were shattered when he figured it was another female voice.

"Yes, ma'am?" Apollo asked. He was unsure who the woman was, except she might have been an HLV operator. Apollo's Zaku held onto the downed GM [G], and boosted back, behind a few barracks. He kneeled his Zaku II down, so he wouldn't be seen by enemies. Trusting his intuition, he continued the conversation with the woman. "Before you start, do you know where Ensign Maes is?"

"Her signature is approaching the HLV base very fast," the woman answered. Apollo gave a sign of relief, as that was his only motivation for surviving the battle; to see Lisa. "Just telling you, the HLV will launch in ten minutes… However, we just got a strange transmission from Captain M'Quve.." the woman said, trailing off.

"What could M'Quve possibly do at this point to help us out?" Apollo asked in a curious manner. The woman just sighed as a response.

"Just keep the Federation forces away for ten minutes. Transmission end," the woman said, border lining monotone. 

"That's easy for them to say…" Apollo said as his Zaku II stood upward. Zaku dropped the 180 MM Cannon for an even better weapon: the GM [G]'s beam rifle. Hypothetically, the Zaku did not have the power output to even fire one shot from a beam rifle, but the GM [G] could without effort. That was why Apollo went for a quick kill on the pilot, and with the body of the GM [G] intact, he wouldn't have to worry about wasting his Zaku's own energy. The Zaku II held onto the GM [G]'s gun arm like it was a doll, with the rest of the body lying there lifelessly. Apollo's radar bleeped, which signified an enemy approaching from the air. He looked up, and saw two locked mobile suits falling to the ground rapidly. However, the mobile suit on the bottom side caught his attention, and he had to view his radar to verify it. "L-Lisa?"

"What in the hell... That's one of Tolen's forces. Hah, it's sad that their pilots had to be killed before the battle even started!" a random pilot started off after seeing the GM CA-Type locked onto the Zaku II in the air. Because of this loss of focus, that same pilot ended up getting killed by a 180 MM Cannon blast to the back. The cannon shot was in such close proximity, that a hole resided where the cockpit once was. The mobile suit fell, and promptly exploded, adding one small victory to the Zeon forces.

"…Take… This!!" Satoru screamed to the direction of the enemy Zaku II. Satoru pushed both levers as far back as he could, and took his feet off of the twin pedals. The GM CA-Type promptly disengaged the lock onto the battered Zaku II in mid air, where the ground was not far below. The GM CA-Type landed on the ground, and skidded several feet. However, the high momentum kept Lisa's Zaku II going, and her Zaku II collided onto the ground with extreme force. In the cockpit, Lisa was violently shaken around, as the Zaku II came to several tosses and rolls along the ground, and even collided through some barracks before a complete stop was ensured. The Zaku II hit the base of a few abandoned tents, crushing them as the Zaku II fell on it's back. Through the extreme pressure, Lisa hit her head on the control panel through the landing. From that, the woman was knocked out.. The GM CA-Type approached Lisa's heavily damaged Zaku, complete with limbs missing, and sparks riddled throughout the Zaku.

"Lisa! I got to do something…" Apollo told himself as he raised the GM [G]'s arm upwards, and aimed it's beam cannon towards the GM CA-Type… Apollo couldn't rely on the crosshair, as that gave an aim for weapons in the Zaku II's hand. Apollo hesitated as the GM CA-Type continued on towards Lisa's fallen Zaku, while Apollo tried to verify a correct aim. When the CA-Type raised it's machine gun, Apollo took a deep breath, and pulled the GM [G]'s finger back. A wild, uncontrolled blast came out from the beam rifle, directly towards the GM CA-Type.

"What the…" Satoru said to himself as the only thing he could have guarded himself with, was with his GM's left arm. The massive beam rifle shot tore directly through the GM CA-Type's left arm, tearing through artificial ligaments that kept the arm working, and even through rotors in the arm. Through that, an arm, split apart in two remained as the GM CA-Type's left arm, with only a few wires holding the mangled arm up. "I didn't know... Zeon mobile suits had weaponry like that…" Satoru steered his GM to the source of the attack. There, he saw a lone Zaku II holding the figure of an already dysfunctional GM [G].

"The shot's powerful, but," Apollo trailed off as he raised the GM's arm once more, to try to confirm yet another aim. The GM CA-Type remained motionless, as Apollo easily confirmed this target, as an easy kill. But then, mere nanoseconds before Apollo's finger hit the switch, several emergency bleeps sounded in Apollo's cockpit. There, he saw a gauge of some sort, drastically decreasing. It appeared that the GM didn't have the power required to fire a shot through it's own generator, and through a surge, some of the Zaku's power was used as well. The gauge dropped to the point where half of power was regulated. "My calculations where incorrect, but even half of the Zaku's energy will be enough for me to get out of this," Apollo said to himself, tossing the overheating GM [G] aside. 

_This fool doesn't even have a weapon,_ Satoru thought to himself. He let his overconfidence plague him once more in the heat of battle, as the CA-Type's twin cannons positioned themselves onto the Zaku's sight. With one volley following another, Satoru nearly emptied the entire cannon's payload on the Zaku II. Much to his surprise, the Zaku II just side-stepped each shot as they came. When Satoru confirmed a miss, he fired another volley from his cannon. The pattern repeated itself, until Satoru sighted the Zaku II drawing it's proximity weapon, and edged closer to the GM. 

"Fine then," Satoru said out loud, as he pushed one of the levers as far ahead as possible. The GM promptly vaulted forward, attempting to capture top speed in a short amount of time. For the short moments that Apollo had of free time, he remained docile to the attack. The Zaku II just raised it's heat hawk over it's shoulder, reading the forthcoming attack with ease. When the GM was in range, the Zaku II forced it's weapon down, attempting to bring the weapon upon the GM's head. However, with one quick thrust, the GM strafed to the side at the last possible moment. "How about point blank?!" the pilot called out as the cannons along the GM's waist immediately aimed onto the Zaku II.

"Hm…" was all that Apollo could say at the act, as with some skillful manipulation, the Zaku edged back, thrusting it's foot directly at the GM. It would seem that Apollo expected the pilot would do such, enforcing the reason why he made a weak swipe with the heat hawk, forcing the pilot in the direction he wanted to. Without time to react, the Zaku II's right foot collided into the GM's cockpit area, and the delay of the cannon shot ceased when the shots intended to mark a kill on the Zaku II, flew off aimlessly into the distance. 

"Damnit!" Satoru screamed out as the GM CA-Type stumbled backwards a few feet. Using the thrusters once more, heavy azure flames emitted from it's backpack. That provided enough force for the mobile suit to regain it's footing, and not fall on it's back. The young pilot was aggravated and frustrated at this point, mainly due to the fact that it was just one mere Zaku II he was having trouble with. "I refuse to lose to a filthy Zeon!" He screamed out as the GM CA-Type charged forward, pulling a beam saber holstered at it's backpack. 

_Now I understand the Federation mobile suit's capabilities,_ Apollo thought to himself as the enemy's beam saber was swung straight down with an immense force and speed. Apollo raised his heat hawk to parry the incoming attack, but his lack of knowledge of Federation MS warfare stood against him. The beam saber was held together by an I-Field, and contained Minvosky Particles. Due to this, no heat weapon that the Zeon had could ever stand up to a beam saber. When Apollo tried to block the beam saber, the saber pierced through the heat hawk like it was butter, and continued onward, striking through the Zaku's spiked shoulder pad. Apollo was sure surprised, as he never expected that would come up. Now without weapons, the Zaku boosted back to add some distance between him and the enemy mobile suit. _There's another thing I never expected… But I can easily get out of this predicament._

"I won't lose to you! I won't lose to any of you!" Satoru screamed once more in his motive of frustration and berserk-like state. He started slashing wildly at the dormant Zaku II, who didn't attempt to evade for a reason that did not occur to Satoru at the moment. When his final strike was about to be blown, Apollo foresaw the attack. He had his Zaku duck the attack, and reach for something along side of him. That same GM [G] that would save him yet again. Apollo used the GM [G] as a shield, but Satoru continued to swing at the Zaku II, even if it meant going through the ruined GM [G]. When Satoru attempted to slash vertically, the beam saber dug deeply into the GM [G]'s armoring. However, he fell into the enemy's trap… He hit the GM's reactor on accident, and Satoru caught that at the last moment. With one, brilliant flash of light, Apollo pushed the GM [G] onto Satoru. With that, the GM [G] exploded at point blank onto the CA-Type.

"It takes more to winning over a skilled opponent that wildly slashing that sword," Apollo said silently as the flames and smoke slightly cleared. The GM CA-Type stumbled back, now heavily damaged with it's left arm entirely missing, and several fragments of armor reduced to scrap metal. Now out of options, Satoru tried for another attack, but the Zaku II plowed through the flames like it was nothing. The Zaku's right hand groped what should be the GM's neck, and pushed it now up against the HLV. A massive imprint of the GM was now on one of the boosters of the HLV, but no serious damage incurred. Satoru struggled to get free of the Zaku II's grip, and nearly succeeded due to the Federation MS's strength superiority. 

_How could I have… How can I be losing? I have to turn this around somehow…_ Those thoughts continued to echo through Satoru's mind as the GM CA-Type slammed it's right fist into the Zaku's right arm to try to weaken the grip. With the same arm, he persisted to punch into the Zaku's torso, with each impact causing an exponentially increasing dent in the armoring. With the Zaku's free arm, that arm struck the GM's visor, ripping through the glass or plastic covering, ripping out vital wirings while doing so. With that impact, all three panels around Satoru gave nothing but static filled screens. With that free moment, the Zaku resumed it's grasp, now on the cockpit, and tossed the GM CA-Type to the side, with it skidding to the ground. The GM CA-Type suffered from heavy damage, as the victorious Apollo stepped over the GM CA-Type.

"What a waste…" Apollo looked down to his defeated enemy, who struggled to get up to it's feet.

"I can't lose," Satoru said, as he felt his world move as the GM CA-Type pulled itself up from the ground. Joints grinded loudly as the GM began to stand up. Around Satoru, the panels gave off only limited vision of his surroundings, looking like distorted TV visions. Without the main camera, he couldn't rely on basic targeting systems. Not like targeting made a difference without a weapon… "I refuse to die here!! I will make them experience the pain they put me through!!" Satoru screamed out as the GM CA-Type stood on it's two feet, slightly slumping over due to some joint malfunctions. Somehow, Apollo could hear the boy's scream.

"What the…" Apollo said to himself as he looked at the GM. He could see fumes emitting from the GM, which could be completely passed off as his own imagination. Those fumes were in fact some kind of aura that he saw, giving off a deep purple coloration. "This aura…" he continued. Apollo had never felt a surge like this in any pilot he had encountered. The GM CA-Type now went to one leg, as it struggled to get up once more. The aura grew even more thick, as this sight that Apollo could only see rendered that pilot a…

"This is an announcement to all Zeon pilots on the field. I repeat: this is an announcement to all Zeon pilots on the field," a deep voice came out. Apollo's concentration on the GM pilot ceased, as he immediately recognized the voice to be Jackson's. "A nuclear weapon has been dropped over Odessa. The blast will engulf everything in the surrounding area, including this HLV base. The nuclear weapon is scheduled to drop in 10 minutes… The HLV will launch in a minute, so get out of the area. If the Feddies want to stay and fight, it's their death wish," Jackson said as the transmission ended. 

"You heard him, we leave now! Everybody, advance as far east as possible!" Apollo's voice of command put an end to all of the skeptics just then. With order established, the Federation narrowed into the HLV, and began concentrating their fire on the HLV itself. A few Zakus got free kills off of distracted Federation pilots, and began to flee. Apollo boosted away from the fallen GM CA-Type and boosted towards Lisa. Not bothering to try to pry her from the cockpit, Apollo picked up the battered Zaku II, and made haste into the distance. As he looked back, he could hear the sounds of gunfire slowly fading away. Now, he was one among many of the fleeing Zeon forces. In particular, he remembered that Federation pilot with the frightening aura… "He would be a good choice for The Movement… I wonder…" Apollo said to himself as the Zeon forces disappeared in the distance.

"Damnit… I… I really did lose…" Satoru said, laying in the cockpit of the nearly destroyed GM CA-Type. In another attempt, Satoru tried to regain the GM's balance, to try to join in on the attack of the HLV. However, something bleeped on his radar. Sweat ran down from his forehead when he attempted to turn around, quickly assuming it was an enemy pilot. No thoughts ran through his mind at that moment, especially in the aftermath as it was really a Dom. A Dom that was stripped of it's paint, most of it's frame, riddled with burn marks where fires started, and the most relaxing feeling of all, wasn't an enemy. "It's you…"

"Satoru," Virocana started off weakly. It was but a miracle that she managed to survive her mobile suit being fully engulfed in a mine field explosion, but by her raised voice, she wanted to inform of something of grave important. "We have to leave now… I got a transmission meant for Zeon pilots… They are going to drop a nuclear weapon on Odessa, and surely it will take this entire base as well." She said in an urgent tone. The GM broke free of the Dom's hand, and stepped forward to join in the attack of the HLV.

"Why in the hell should I trust you?" Satoru's harsh tone provoked anger into the normally well maintained woman.

"There is no way at this point you can stop the HLV!" Virocana yelled in aggressive vigor. That was one of the rare moments when she was borderline on shouting. She came all the way in the battle field, at risk of being mistaken for a Zeon pilot to help Satoru. And he didn't even want the help, as he still wouldn't trust a Zeon woman. She looked up to the HLV, as one booster along the sides erupted into flames. The Federation concentrated on random locations of the HLV, which didn't make the attack too effective. 

"Satoru, you're going to have to trust her this time…" Another voice from Virocana's signal said. That voice was immediately identified to be Senra's. Satoru did not share a friendly moment with Senra, as at that point, Satoru considered his friend a traitor for trusting the Zeon woman so blindly. In the Stealth Dom's cockpit, several display screens were shot out. Virocana sat in the scratched up seat, while Senra sat to the edge. To Senra though, losing his suit didn't concern him. Neither did the threat of the nuke, as he knew that there would be some way to get around it. However, Virocana sensed something… A lot of noises coming from the HLV.

Noises like multiple locks being released…

****

The inside of the HLV, presented nothing but a commotion. Workers frantically running around, trying to establish last minute checkups. Some however, have gotten used to the quakes causes by the occasional close stray of gunfire. A massive quake ran through the HLV when one of the boosters was rendered inoperable. In the main hold, General Jackson sat among one of the many commanders and important passengers. In front of him, he saw a line of workers, manning operating systems. In front of each of them, was a display of various camera displays around the HLV. Jackson looked up, and saw the clock now passing 30 seconds until launch.

Apollo… Lisa… The 13th… My family, please be safe out there… I can't play the father any more. Let's see if my teachings paid off up to this point, Jackson thought to himself as the countdown clocked even more. He placed a tight grip on the arm of his chair, as he waited for that moment to commence. 

"Countdown ten to lift off, locks released… Propulsion system activated. Main reactors 1 and 2 operational, reactor 3 is inoperable," a female voice rang out. "Propulsion activated… 5... 4... 3... 2..."

"Be safe, my children…" Jackson said out loud as he prepared himself for the new experience in space… Now that the crossroads are set, Jackson did wonder how the war will go on from that moment out.

****

Outside, a thick amount of smoke emitted from the HLV. It was at that very moment, the Federation attack increased like no other previous time. Mobile suits emptied entire clips from their machine guns with no avail. Many took airborne, and attempted to halt the HLV's progress by laying finishing blows with their beam sabers. None of them knew, of the impending nuclear threat that Tolen's mobile force knew. It wasn't like they would listen to Virocana for her being in a Zeon suit for the most part. It wasn't like they would listen to Satoru or Senra either, due to how Tolen was generally disliked for an undisclosed reason unknown to his pilots. The Stealth Dom attempted to drag Satoru's GM back, but naturally in a stubborn type of resistance, he tried to be the hero.

"Satoru, what are you doing?!" Senra cried out to his stubborn friend before Virocana could even think of a response. The GM CA-Type continued forward, nearly being blown off of it's feet by the excessive force from the HLV's thrusters. "You don't even have a weapon! Your GM has absolutely no weapons at all!"

"I can do this! I'm going to kill those Zeeks one way or another!!" Satoru snapped back as he had his mobile suit thrust forward at top speed. The speed greatly differed with the propulsion pushing his suit back. But once he met the HLV at point blank, he tried the most desperate move in his situation; taking out the HLV with excessive force. One kick followed after a punch with it's only remaining fist, none managed to do in the HLV. Satoru wasn't even aware of how futile his attempts where, his rage set his mind upon one thing, stopping the Zeon. 

"Grab him!" Senra urgently said to Virocana.

"I know, I know…" Virocana's voice dropped back to her near monotone style. She pushed the Stealth Dom ahead at it's full capability, not concerned about how many joints in her suit she stressed. With one fluid motion, the Stealth Dom's stripped down, skeleton like hand grabbed the foot of the GM CA-Type, causing it to lose footing. The smoke and fumes emitting from the HLV grew even more aggressively, as the massive structure itself, started to free itself from the ground. With another swoop, the next of the GM CA-Type was grasped tightly, and from there, the Stealth Dom dragged the mobile suit into the distance. That wasn't without Satoru's struggling and cursing, however. 

"Damn you! You Zeon *****!" Satoru screamed out, as he realized that all his attempts were futile. His rage continued to boil, as his losses in the current mission just continued to add up and pile up. One could say he was just angry with his current track record. He kicked his control console in his fit of rage, shouting one more word that refuted Virocana's tranquility. "Murder!" with that word said, all Satoru could see was the HLV lifting off into the sky, and the sight of futile attempts by Federation suits. There, his victory was escaping into the skies… Into the space which I hated so much…

****

Minutes passed, as the _Bulldog_ was once again the setting. The entire ship was filled with panic, as Virocana informed a single mechanic on why she had the forces retreat. On the bridge, Tolen's facial expression did not change. The bridge was surprisingly silent, compared to the more noisy cargo hold. All three of the pilots were on the bridge as well, standing in a row. Amelia, who was leaning upon a railing, starred at them. To her, the defeat didn't bother her. But how the current situation would be resolved, was the main factor.

"Are you sure the announcement said a nuclear bomb was actually dropped on Odessa?" Amelia asked. Virocana just sighed, beginning her response.

"I'm not sure… But by the time I got to get Ensign Hakiteki, the Zeon defense was nowhere to be sighted," she woman said. Tolen looked to the side, towards Leon.

"The guys upstairs know something that we don't. Contact the main force, right this minute," Tolen said in his commanding tone. Leon didn't stop to ask questions, he just did as Tolen ordered. With a few clicks, a transmission of a man appeared on his screen. Truth be told, that man was some sort of assistant of General Revil, or the ring leader of Odessa.

"Yes, sir?" the man asked.

"Please, this is urgent from a Big Tray in the 2nd half of the 4th Division. We need to talk to General Revil right away," Tolen said to the man.

"Is this about the missile threat?" the man asked. Tolen's silence confirmed the man's intuition. "You do not have to worry. The Gundam will take care of the missile threat. After all, it's in their region," the man finished as the transmission was abruptly cut.

"The Gundam cannot take down a nuclear missile! It's just a mobile suit…" Tolen said in disbelief. At the moment, he simply could not fathom why the Federation leaders would put so much faith into a single mobile suit. At that point, Tolen felt sorry for the crew commanding the Gundam, for the fact that for all the stunts they pull, they never get rewarded. Tolen looked up, and folded his arms across his chest. "What more can we do? We can't cross the river, and we won't be able to move south fast enough. So I guess we might as well place our bets on the Gundam."

"Well… I accept," Amelia said in response to Tolen's "bet". "We have nothing else to place our faith in, and Gundam has gotten the Federation this far," she said in a joking manner.

"Well… I guess this will place some excitement in life. If we win the bet, God loves us. If we don't, I guess he wanted Zeon to win," Senra said. From the conversation, and how half-heartedly the crew was taking the situation, Satoru and Virocana did not exchange any more word with themselves, or each other.

"Nuclear Weapon ETA in 30 seconds…" Leon called out.

"Sir, we can still try to move the ship now!" Noyr called out. Tolen just shook his head.

"ETA… 25 seconds…" Leon said. There was a quiver in his voice, indicating his fear. Amelia, Senra, and Tolen did not seem too effected by the threat on the outside, but on the inside, they were trusting how far their luck could go. Satoru's thoughts, wondered on if the nuclear strike was successful, why would God place victory in a force who would nuke their own forces just to get rid of the enemy. The crew stared out into the distance, where they could see a distant smoke trail descend from the sky. "ETA in 10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2..." with each number, everybody's heartbeats grew faster. Before Leon could even call the last remaining number, the trail disappeared. The ant like figure that was the nuclear weapon also disappeared… At first, they came to inane conclusions that the explosion had no sound, because they were engulfed so quickly. 

However… No such flash came… The Gundam was truly successful…

****

Odessa, Europe

November 10th, UC 0079

07:30 A.M.

It was a long battle, but at last, Operation Odessa came to an end. All of the fighting ended with Zeon defense forces wiped out, or them escaping by HLV or other methods. In front of a fallen, mangled Zaku, two GM [G]s planted a flag through the Zaku's monoeye, possibly in a show of mockery. The flag displayed some sort of star figure, which was the insignia of the Earth Federation. The fields among Odessa were filled with fallen mobile suits, crashed planes, and wrecked tanks. Within the Bulldog, the crew was out in various places of the ship, enjoying their free time.

"Commander Jamitov Heiman… What did you want to discuss with me?" Tolen asked. The bridge was completely vacant, and nearly all the systems were rendered offline, with the exception of the systems Tolen turned on himself to make the communication link possible. The man on the screen in front of him, appeared to be that of high military rank. He seemed wizened in his old age, and wore a dark brown Federation cap. But not even that hit the streaks of grayness in his hair.

"I wanted to discuss the future placement of your unit…" Jamitov's voice was deep, and even in some cases, emotionless. His eyes gave off a deep stare, showing eyes that were used to the battlefield, and used to blood.

"Future placement… You mean Revil isn't going to be dictating our movement?" Tolen asked.

"No… From this moment on, the lives of your crew are now under my command," Jamitov said in his deep tone. This however, did not assure Tolen of his safety in the future…

****

To Be Continued

Author's Notes

[1] - Captain M'Quve had a booby trap set in the ending stages of Operation Odessa. He set a nuclear weapon to be dropped in the Odessa region. Naturally, the _White Base_ crew managed to thwart M'Quve's efforts. The Gundam and the G-Sky managed to destroy the nuclear weapon without detonating it. Now the main thing is, that this happened in the TV Version of Mobile Suit Gundam. In the movie version, _White Base_ never made it to Odessa. So I'm having this fic follow the TV Version of the story.


	10. Act 10: Paradox

__

"Future contingents cannot be certain to us, because we know them as such. They can be certain only to God whose understanding is in eternity above time. Just as a man going along a road does not see those who come after him; but the man who sees the whole road from a height sees all those who are going along the road at the same time." - Thomas Aquinas

Mobile Suit Gundam 0079 - Where the Hero Fell

Act 10 - Paradox

November 10th, UC 0079

08:33 A.M.

Africa… The worst example of a paradise to try to get a reprieve of the causalities of war. Across the Sahara Desert, a thick sheet of sand coated the horizon. The sea of desert seemed absolutely endless, but not carrying the beauty of the blue ocean, the blue sky, or even the endless black void known as space. Not to mention, the humidity was nearly unbearable. The Zeon soldiers who were forced to adapt to this barren world could surely testify to that statement. In an unknown depth into the desert, a Zeon camp remained. It was purely made up of tents, and the titan mobile suits standing as motionless watch guards. The camp was absolutely littered with Zeon soldiers, who felt the need to disregard the proper uniform code by wearing garments and tarnishing the overly sophisticated uniform that would be unspeakable anywhere else. The humidity escalated to heights that were enough to drive any man insane. And surely the heat was enough to boil any person's blood, especially that of Zeon officers who haven't seen any activity in weeks…

"Ugh… No… Don't…" From inside one of the tents, which was closed off for isolation from the rest of the world, a woman's murmur could be heard. 

"C'mon… I know you want it… It'll pass the time really fast," this statement originated from a young soldier with blonde hair. Inside the tent, presented the best possible example on what the heat could truly do to a person. Even more so in this situation, where desire boils faster than anything else. The young man was attempting to force himself on a woman, who was a very beautiful sight. The woman couldn't be much older, if not just in her mid twenties. Although, her blonde hair, stained with sand, might have decreased her initial formal appearance.

"No… Not right now… I can't-" the woman's tongue seemed to have been twisted upon that statement, as she could not unearth the completing words from anywhere in her mind. Her temptation increased, just like the weather. It was by that time when she was attempting to find the words, she had already given herself in. Already the young man forced himself completely on her, and in seconds, she was already being stripped of her Zeon uniform peace. "Markus…"

"Don't worry. Look at it as two lonely animals satisfying their needs…" The man named Markus stated, to try to better the situation. He tossed the Zeon uniform piece by piece over his shoulder, acting as the ultimate desecration of the uniform. But who knew? Who would even care in this situation? On the front, things like this could be considered normal.

"Most animals don't do it for the pleasure-" she was interrupted once more, but this time with a short kiss from the other. Soon, she found herself on the pile of blankets that served as the "bed".

"It's alright… I'll be gentle," Markus said once more. Outside of the tent, a shadow formed over the entering compartment. It could just be assumed to be a soldier who would come in coincidently at the wrong time, and nothing more. If the two even knew about the intruding guest.

"Alright… Just don't tell anybody," the woman said, as the final confirmation on letting the temptation overwhelm her. She didn't see it as a thing to be shameful about at this point, as being kept on a front like the Sahara would drive any man to the desperation of longing. Even though she was a woman, she still lived in a world made upon men, the military world. And all she could do was cope with it. 

"Don't you have something better to do with you time?" This voice, was a third, completely foreign voice. The two jolted in surprise, as both were witnessing an unknown man who just waltzed through the camp, and just decided to interrupt their "act". With the two Zeon soldiers, as naked as the day they came out of the womb, covered themselves with their previously discarded clothing. With the pilots at a grave loss of dignity at this point, the man deepened it by chuckling at them. The man was wearing an overcoat, which was in extreme contrast as far as preparing for the desert humidity was concerned. He seemed in middle age, judging at the slight streaks of white within his hair. His face, was like it was a death mask, with two eyes that looked as dull as two stones. The woman was about to speak, but the man intentionally interrupted her, the moment she got the first syllable of the sentence out. "You're Marai Gunner, correct? Wait… No need for doubt, I'm always right."

The two Zeon soldiers did not attempt to make any sort of response to the invader at the moment. Both were preoccupied in clothing their naked forms, to hide the embarrassment of having a stranger witness their activity. Their actions were rushed considerably, due to the fault of the man's booming laughter; he was mocking them, taking their actions to his own personal enjoyment, like a man of his quality of ego should. Once the soldiers retained some of their dignity peace by peace, alike the pieces of clothing that they scavenged the surroundings to obtain, the woman peered up to the man. Embarrassment was still stained on her face, as her cheeks flushed a deep red.

"How… did you know my name?" the woman spoke out, with her speech being impaired by that of some fear. After all, the man was improperly equip for desert life, nor did she remember any soldier in her group being that old, or being that egotistic. When she came to the possible conclusion that he was possibly from another unit, she relaxed, taking a deep breath for assistance on that fact.

"As I said, I'm never wrong," the old man boasted, once again flaunting his "abilities" like he was psychic, while the soldiers probably saw it as a fluke. Markus then drew his gun from his pocket, and released the safety with an audible 'click'. Markus directed the gun's aim upon the old man, to attempt to coax him into forcing the conversation along, without him speaking nonsense. Apparently, Markus already had a grudge against the old man, since it was he who interrupted his time with Marai, and already he was in a bad mood. But contrary to what Markus expected, the man just indulged himself in his ill-found humor once again. "I can also tell that you won't shoot, Markus… Even you might want to hear what I have to say."

"Tch…" the man's cryptic, brooding words did not old true for the young soldier immediately, as approached the old man, and forced the gun against his head. The old man slightly jolted from the warm steel touching his wrinkled forehead. Markus grinned, showing a sort of denial that the man's words held true. With aggression, he forced the gun into the old man's forehead with much more pressure. "So why don't you start talking, eh?"

"Hey, I was just getting to that," the man said, as he just used his index finger to point the gun away from him, or at least out of the gunpoint range. "I'm just a wandering fortune teller. But also, I have such a knowledge, such an understanding on truth, the deities themselves are envious. With this knowledge, I can control the course of fate as I see fit. Even a god like me needs some help with this. But why should I explain it to you? It's beyond the comprehension of you old types…"

"So… Why did you come if we can't grasp the concept?" Marai asked. The old man's expression changed from a humored one, to an annoying one with just Marai's question.

"Don't you Zeon have any manners? Maybe I just shouldn't tell you that I can rid of your little lack of supplies problem by just giving you a few instructions… Oops." With that, Marai jolted up. Now, it was confirmed to her that this fortune teller was the real deal. It was entirely true, that her Zeon squad was running into supply problems, as far as food and tools for the mobile suits were concerned. But with this chance, that seemed to just drop from the heavens in the form of this senile old man, Marai was eager to accept. Markus on the other hand, just chalked it up to luck and coincidence. "Oh, I seemed to have struck a nerve with that one. Anyway, time is running short on my end, so I'll leave a little hint. A city on the eastern coast that shouldn't be far when you think of the rewards… Port Sudan." And with that message told, the man abated his effort of foolery and humor upon the two Zeon soldiers, and began to take his lead. Pushing the loose flap of the tent aside to greet the harsh desert climate once more, his pace was halted by one more intervention by Marai.

"Is what you are saying… Is it really true? Can I really trust you with this…?" Marai's tone was more filled with… sorrow than anything else. She had been infuriated with the old man's intrusion before, but with a serious matter that threatened her squad's fate, she was really hoping the man wasn't telling a fib. But through the tone of her voice, her hopes were already steered to the worst possible outcome.

"Again, me being wrong is an impossibility, as I'm not like some other fortune tellers of old… However, how 'Old Hickory'[1] would act due to your affair is anyone's guess," the man's words left a chill in Marai's spine, as she was able to comprehend the remark in it's absolute entirety. Markus, however, was left in the dark, unable to decipher the 'Old Hickory' reference. Markus had a puzzled look on his face, which Marai made no effort to attempt to explain. Outside of the tent, the man took a deep breath of the "fresh" desert air in high regard compared to the musty scent inside of the tent. The man smirked once, receiving in reply the odd expressions of passing Zeon soldiers due to his alienation. He began to walk out of the base's small vicinity, as he murmured another passage that he simply couldn't have kept to himself. "It's amazing how far a little twist of a few words can go. And with that piece set up… It's time for our movement…"

****

_That's all it is… a dream… Just tell myself that this is just a dream…_

And then maybe I'll wake up…

Ensign Satoru Hakiteki attempted to remind himself of these words of optimism as he found himself in a serene environment. He easily recognized the location as Guru 10, his home colony. But, Guru 10's activity was entirely vacant, as not even a single sound of commerce identified itself. The air was coated by a thick, golden fog, which most likely was the gas that eradicated the colony's population flawlessly. The dream did not make much sense to Satoru, as he stood in front of a deserted field, away from where the buildings should have been. 

_This can't be just a dream…_

The boy kneeled down, and pressed his palm against the ground. The biggest oddity here, was that it felt entirely lifelike, unlike a majority of other dreams. Satoru failed to understand the concept of this vision in depth, but he could at least figure this much out; it was a nightmare. Suddenly, the boy was tipped off balance by a near-by quake. The quake progressed in rapid succession moments later, as he was soon staring up at a behemoth of a Zaku II. But… The Zaku II was much larger than the ones he had faced, and it's monoeye had a radiance and appearance that almost made it seem lifelike. The boy felt a tremendous amount of fear upon him, but he staggered to his feet anyway.

_No! No… Don't be scared… this is just a dream… but… why am I trembling?_

Satoru edged back when the Zaku made an approach, matching his movement. The Zaku's massive arm reached in closer, as Satoru continued to make an effort to struggle. But it was almost like fear had such an overwhelming factor upon him, it manipulated his body completely, negating the control from his brain and will power alone to… fear. 

_This Zaku… It's the one from Odessa… but…_

The boy couldn't force out any more thoughts, as the Zaku outstretched it's arm at Satoru at unfathomable speeds. And he couldn't resist, as his body restricted any sort of final movement whatsoever. He was soon in the Zaku's clutches, and found himself being elevated higher. The dream did not start there, however. Everything around him started to cascade itself into absolute darkness, even more brooding than the darkness of space itself. Satoru heard a voice calling from what seemed to be… outside. He couldn't feel the Zaku's grip anymore, but it served him no purpose, since he was lost once more.

"I don't… understand. What… What is this supposed to mean?" Satoru said, out loud. All he could see in front, under, or above, was absolute darkness. He couldn't feel his feet upon any sort of flooring, and he was unable to move. It wasn't like it would make a difference. The voice that he thought he heard gradually became more and more audible. 

"Satoru…" The voice called once…

"Satoru…" The voice called a second time…

"Satoru!" The voice shouted this time, with a heavy hint of impatience tainting that tone. The voice wasn't as heavy as a male's, as it was more soft as a female's. But the voice sounded… hauntingly familiar.

"Amelia?" Satoru cried out. He got no response. That confirmed it wasn't somebody outside of his dream, but somebody still within it. And he had hoped that it would mark the end of a dream that he could barely decipher. But then… the he finally matched the voice with somebody he once knew long ago. "Margaret…"

"Bingo, dummy!" Margaret's voice sounded out much more clearly then, and not seeming like it was at a far distance like before. Margaret's physical form did not materialize before Satoru, as he was still literally, kept in the dark. Satoru briefly wondered why this was, or did he actually manage to forget what Margaret exactly looked like… Regardless, Satoru seemed rather, happy to hear Margaret's voice again, forgetting the entire factor that the dream wasn't truly real.

"Margaret… I've… I've never been so happy to hear your voice…" Satoru said enthusiastically, but after that… his more realistic views began to surface. "But what's the point… You're not real anyway…"

"Don't say that. You'd be surprised…"

"What does this all mean? Did you make this?" Satoru asked. It took Margaret a moment to answer, or his brain to finalize a result in the dream. Either one were suitable but the boy hoped that asking "Margaret" would clear things up.

"I didn't entirely make this… as your brain did most of the work. But I need to give you a warning, before it is too late," Margaret said, more so in a sorrowful tone. Satoru was about to ask of what warning he needed to be advised of, but Margaret told the answer before the boy could even open his mouth to ask. "I don't have much time… but the way that you're doing things… out of pure revenge, you need to stop fighting this way."

"Oh, why should I? I'm fighting not for me, I'm fighting for both of us."

"Who said I ever wanted revenge against the Zeon, in the way that you're doing it? For all you know, your enemy may not even be the Zeon. Your main enemy at this point has to be yourself…"

"… Even you're against me too?" Satoru's tone started to get into even more of a hostile form. Even in his own dream, nobody agreed with his crusade and his reason to fight. 

"I've never said that, Satoru. But… at this rate you'll become just like the people you hated so-"

"Look, I don't want to hear it. This isn't real… If you were really Margaret, you'd see it from my perspective, since we were put through the same damn incident. The Zeon took our parent's lives through the most inhumane methods possible. They tell us that they're fighting for spacenoid independence, yet they kill fellow spacenoids, their brothers, for the sake of this false sense of independence!? And yet they feel no remorse about what they have done… They just blame the Federation for their reason for gassing billions of people!" Satoru took a moment to take a deep breath, attempting to calm himself in his moment of blinding rage. It made him even more angry that out of all people, Margaret would be against him, dream, vision, or real. "These people I'm around… I hate them, as much as I fail to understand them. This is war, yet they feel sympathetic to their enemies. Forget that these people killed our friends, they just forgive them like this is just mere Reconciliation! Then fine. I'll do it myself, I'll destroy the Zeon myself, with or without help. Whoever you are… whether you be my own illusion or God himself… quit using Margaret's voice to deceive me, and leave me be and let me wake up."

"Oh dear… This is worse than I expected…" the voice said quietly, but still loud enough for Satoru to clearly hear. "I guess this is where the hero fell, huh, Satoru?" The impending voice grew exponentially distant to the boy's ears. He felt himself free in the black void around him, free of such bothersome limitations like gravity, but it felt rather… Strange. Especially in a dream sequence. Suddenly, the boy found himself cast in a completely different surrounding in the bizarre world.

"Mmgh!" Satoru couldn't even release a coherent sentence, due to the sudden change in atmospheres being so abrupt. Satoru found himself deep within an ocean, in which even in a dream, he felt weighed down by expected reactions. He felt as if the very air he held dear was being sucked right out of him, turning into the form of air bubbles which he could barely see in his blurred vision. He frantically waved his arms, trying to reach the surface to a temporary release of the threat of drowning, forgetting all of his prior teachings on military survival as he tried.

"Pitiful, I thought the Federation trained their soldiers better than that…" Satoru could still hear the voice calling out to him, unhampered by the water. Automatically, he deemed himself to be unlucky that he was still trapped in a dream. A dangerously life-like dream. The boy felt himself dragged through the artificial ocean, most likely threw it's unreal current. In mere moments, Satoru found himself washed up ashore. He gave a few coughs, spurting out some water that was just as real as his brain dictated. He could feel the dampness of his clothes and how they stuck onto his form. Regardless, he lifted his face from the sand, and saw…

"Nothing's here. It's just a beach which probably means nothing at all," Satoru said to himself. What was the point of thinking to himself in a dream? He could barely tell if he was talking out loud or thinking in his head at the moment. 

"Well, you wanted me to show myself… Here I am." Margaret's voice seemed much more audible this time. Satoru directed his eyes to the source, and saw what appeared to be Margaret, in the same assortment of school clothing that both of them used to wear almost daily. She was just as Satoru remembered, with her brown skin and black hair. However, she would not turn around to face the boy. Satoru struggled to his feet, not making an effort to clear his hair of the excess salt water that dripped down every now and then, nor did he move parts from nearly entirely covering his eyes.

"Why can't you turn around and prove that to me?" The boy asked. Margaret made no such effort to comply to his demand.

"Because, what if the face on this body isn't really mine? It's your dream, it's your mind, and it's your memories. Perhaps this is only what your brain will allow you to see, probably in accordance to your memory. Do you even remember my face? Do you remember the face of your father, or even your mother?"

"I… I don't need to remember their faces anymore. I've put all that behind me and I focus on what's in front of me."

"Or is it that you don't care anymore, about back then?"

"That was a long time ago… It's been a long time since I've been around either one of my parents, and it's not like I can focus on them while I'm fighting a war." Satoru quietly, attempting to reassure himself.

"I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about after the gassing…"

Satoru remained quiet, unable to respond to Margaret's question.

"Have you even told anybody about that?"

"There's no need to. They didn't need to know I was some common t-"

"I guess they didn't. Not then anyway, but you know… The past will catch up to you soon enough. It does to all of us. That's why I'm here, I… I just needed to tell you that," Margaret said, still not moving an inch. There was a moment of silence between Satoru and Margaret, with only the wind and the rhythm of the ocean's waves being the medium. That is, until Satoru broke the silence.

"Are you done?" The boy said, in a cold, monotone voice.

Margaret simply sighed in response to the boy's answer to her foreshadowing. "Well, I guess you're not going to listen to me now, but I hope you will eventually. Just remember… This place… This beach… You can always come here. This beach is so peaceful, even if you're on your own. It's a great reward for death, isn't it?"

"So you're saying I'm going to die pretty soon?"

"You'll be lucky if you did. But that's another matter. When you're ready, you can come here. It's a good escape from that hell known as reality. After all, 'we' all go here eventually. This, is where the hero fell, after all. Now, you can wake up. I won't stop you." Margaret said that command as if Satoru exactly knew how to do it, but waking up from a dream is inherit to the mind most times. However, Satoru needed to ask a question before he went, despite his unsatisfactory conduct to the girl earlier.

"Are you… Just a fragment of my memories? Or are you actually Margaret?"

"I won't even dignify that with an answer." That was the last thing Satoru heard as everything suddenly shut out around him, and felt himself seemingly plummeting into the abyss below… 

The first thing Satoru saw waking up, was the metallic ceiling of his room within the _Bulldog_. He felt a sharp chill through his spine, as he found himself laying on the cold, steel floor instead of the bed merely five inches away from him. Drawers and such were open, and clothing were sloppily packed into a single black suitcase, save for an extra pair of his military uniform, which was neatly folded. He laid on the floor for a moment, trying to comprehend what was going on at the moment. With two loud rings from the PA bell, he heard Tolen's voice over the intercom, being echoed throughout the entire Big Tray.

"Attention, this is Captain Tolen speaking. I am just reminding you that the Medea transport planes will be ready in 30 minutes. You should have already gotten your specific number deciding on which transport to board. But since most of you most likely forgot, 1A's, will be transferred to the naval group in the Pacific…" As Tolen began reading off the specifc numbers, Satoru tried to recall which number he was given. "And 5Bs will be transported to Africa, which consists of our mobile suit pilots and higher ranking officials. So most of you mechanics and such won't have to worry about that one. That is all." Satoru remembered something about 5B… but he was hardly paying attention then. He was more so angry due to the fact that a mechanic chewed him out for wreaking his mobile suit for the second time in a row. He looked around the room, and realized he only had but half of the clothing packed.

"****!" He exclaimed out loud, as he frantically began packing his suitcase. Thoughts of the dream he had entered his mind occasionally, but he made it his best effort to eradicate any of those thoughts for the truth of it at the moment. He just had to ensure that he made the Medea departure deadline, because he doubted he could act as a stowaway a second time.

****

20 minutes later…

The particular area in Europe where the Federation gathering and shipment was being conducted had fair weather, which would have served as a good time to spend a little time outside of the congested, musty smell of a battleship. The arrangement of battleships and the like weren't effectively organized, as Medea planes seemed to be in random, irrelevant locations. Outside of Medea 5B, Amelia enjoyed her state of solitude with her suitcase serving as a bootleg chair. Her left arm was held upward by a cane that she needed to allow her to walk in her wounded condition. The other hand held up an old book. It was impossible to figure the name of the book by it's cover, as the book was so old that the words identifying it have practically ceased to exist. For what seemed like reflex, Amelia lifted her attention out of the book, and greeted a familiar figure with a wave from her right hand, still maintaining a grip on the piece of literature to not lose a page. 

"Virocana!" Amelia cried. Seconds prior to Amelia's call of direction, Virocana was wondering aimlessly, looking onto a crumpled sheet of paper every few passing moments that most likely had vague directions to the proper Medea scribbled on it. She looked towards the source of her calling, and saw Amelia. The woman gave a weak smile, and started her advance towards the Lieutenant. Virocana viewed Amelia as a friend, so to speak, even though they haven't actually conversed much. However, it was Amelia, and Tolen who openly accepted her, and Senra who still remained neutral for the sake of not completely forsaking his friend. Satoru's stance was blatantly obvious, and so was the ever so elusive Shin's.

"Oh… Hello Lieutenant- I mean, Miss Amelia," Virocana said, trying to be as much polite as she was nervous. Virocana looked down to the book that Amelia was holding onto, and tried to start a conversation with the pilot. "What… is that book?"

"It's just a book on contolism," Amelia said. Virocana found it interesting that Daikun's famous philosophy was moderately popular around this mobile suit squad. "You've probably heard of it, Daikun's beliefs on human evolution in space…"

"Yes, I have read most of it, or at least the time frame that I can remember," Virocana said in a sad fashion. The subject of Virocana's memories provoked Amelia to go to a switch in the subject in the conversation.

"Speaking of which… Have you recovered any of your memories as of late?" 

"Well… A little, but not significant at all. All I can remember… is a child. A little girl…" Virocana said trailing off, trying to recall more about that fragment of a memory. 

"Was she… your child?" Amelia asked, closing the book that she was reading to give her undivided attention to Virocana's plight.

"I do not know. I just remember a beautiful little girl with black hair… Whenever I think of that little girl, I feel… happy. Like it gives me hope…" Virocana said before looking down at the ground. "Are memories joyful things to hold on to?"

"Sometimes, Virocana. Other times, it would be in everybody's best interests to let that memory go."

"What about your memories?"

"There's… not much to tell," Amelia put her book in her suitcase, having no further intention of reading it anymore. She was more concerned on Virocana's odd, yet compelling question of the subject of memories. It would seem odd to tell somebody who she hardly knows a portion of her life that she would rather keep secret, but perhaps it would be better off to make Virocana feel more… accepted. "Where to start off…"

****

__

When she was five…

"Daddy! Daddy!" A little girl descended her way down a flight of stars, cast into a dim basement room. The little girl was just wearing a white dress, and had short red hair. The girl was holding onto a teddy bear, which had several tear marks that were previously neglected of any form of repair. Her father, was an older man with black hair, and glasses wearing formal clothing. He was at a desk at the far side of the room, indulging himself into a book with the aid of a desk lamp, the only source of light in the room. 

"Yes dear?" the father asked in a monotone voice, his attention not being deviated from the book.

"When's mommy coming to see me? It's been weeks!" After a moment of silence between the two, the father could hear the sound of his little girl's teddy bear dropping against the hold concrete floor. "Did… did mommy forget about me? Did she stop caring about me?"

"N-no… Your mother will always be with you. She's just looking after you… Come here, Amelia," the father beckoned, as Amelia stepped off the wooden steps onto the stone flooring. She shivered, but shrugged it off as she approached her father's desk. The father gave her a green book, that was inscribed _'The Philosophies of Zeon Daikun'. _The book was rather large compared to Amelia's physical size, and the vocabulary was well beyond a five-year old's comprehension.

"But daddy… I can't read these big words…"

"But you can make good sentences, and that's very good for a five year old. When you learn how to read that book, then you'll understand," Amelia's father said, trying to brighten the little girl's hopes. Amelia slightly turned, but then asked another question.

"Is this… a fairy tale?"

"That's for you to decide, Amelia. Now go on, and don't forget what I said," the father said as Amelia nodded, and ran back to the stairs. She halted to maintain a grip on her teddy bear, and climbed the stairs in rapid motion, obviously inspired by the father's words of hope. The father just sighed, as he looked towards a letter, partially visible by the cluster of paperwork from his work. Next to that letter, was a picture of a younger version of himself, and a woman with red hair. He picked up the letter, and sighed. There were two sentences which he had underlined… '…that your wife has died in an accident when attempting to make a prototype fusion reactor…' and 'Apologies, the Minvosky Physics Society [2]'.

"I can't tell her… I have to give her a little bit of hope… That's what you would have done…" Amelia's father picked up the picture once more, and started to work on his paperwork. Little to his knowledge, the child Amelia was kneeling on the topmost stair, spying on her father. But she still did not know what her father had meant…

__

When she was thirteen…

"I… I'm still not making complete sense of this," Amelia said, reading the same contolism book given to her years ago. She was sitting at a kitchen table, as it was breakfast time. Her father was eating breakfast, but she ignored breakfast to continue to read your book.

"You know, you should eat your eggs," her father said, trying to divert the subject. Amelia shook her head in a negative reply, and continued reading. Her father took this as a defeat in his suggestion, and took Amelia onto her statement. "I told you, I can't help. You have to decipher it for yourself."

"I know, I know… But I've been reading it every day for years, and I'm still not getting the entire picture. And the kids at school make fun of me for reading this book. They call me a little child for continuing to read fairy tales…"

"Forget them, you have a special gift that they don't have," the father said. Amelia slightly put the book down, in order to offer a baffled expression to her father. "Hey… Don't look at me like that. I can't tell you what that gift is, you have to figure that out yourself."

"Yeah, maybe you're right," Amelia attempted to say that to boost her confidence, and it was unknown to her father if it worked. He got his confirmation moments later. "You know… They tell me I'm good at mechanics… So maybe I can be as good an engineer as my mother was…" Upon hearing these words, Amelia's father promptly stopped eating his breakfast.

"Your mother was a fantastic engineer… Much better than me. I've even asked myself why did she pick me when she could have married more important and better ones."

"Then why did she?"

"I don't know… She did admire my reading habits though. And I see that those habits have been much so passed onto you. I don't know anybody who would read a single book repeatedly for several years."

"Father…" Amelia put the book on the table, and closed it. Her expression was very much so serious and stern. "What did happen to my mother?" There was a silence after the girl's question, as there usually is when Amelia asked a question about her mother that he simply couldn't answer at that time. But… the situation in this time would be different.

"Oh… That's a long story for now, so I'll tell you as soon as you get back from school. And don't worry about the book, just leave it here." Nothing more was spoken, as Amelia left the book, and departed to another room. Her father didn't exchange any further words, or made no attempt to. He took Amelia's book, and began to read it for himself. There, began the longest day that Amelia had ever had in her childhood… 

__

That one day, when she was eighteen…

"Father… I'm going to join the Duchy," Amelia said, at the familiar kitchen table at dinner time. She was in a rather elaborate dress, and a graduation hat sat in the middle of the table. She did not stay for whatever additional gathering her class was having, as she would rather stay with her father. Amelia continued eating, but again, her father froze. "I'm going to join the Duchy. Maybe we'll even work together one day."

"And why would you want to join the Duchy?" her father asked, waiting eagerly for Amelia's answer. He immediately thought that Amelia still didn't make up her mind on what she wanted to be as an adult, but she seemed rather serious.

"I want to pilot a mobile suit. I don't know how I'll do it since I'm a woman… but I'll do it," Amelia said. Her father sighed in response to her reason.

"Absolutely not."

"But Father… I know this is right! My mother died trying to make the basic core of a mobile suit… I know because you've told me about it! I have the advantage because I know about the mobile suit while most people who enlist don't!" Amelia exclaimed. She was getting rather desperate, and she originally hoped that her father would comply and ask no questions.

"I'm sorry Amelia, but I won't lose you too…"

"No! I won't die… I'll pilot a mobile suit… It's the best way to… I don't know how to explain it.. But I know it'll make my mother happy!"

"No…"

"I'll join whether you like it or not!!" Amelia yelled as she ran out of the room. She got up in such a hurry her chair tipped over, adding another source of imbalance within the house. Her father made no effort to get back up after Amelia, he just put both hands on the table and held his head up by his forehead.

"Secilia… Please tell me. What do I do now? I… I don't want to lose my little girl too…"

****

"So… What happened next?" Virocana said, unintentionally appearing like she was rushing Amelia along with her story. In any case, Virocana's attention was in fact undivided, and she even was at the edge of her seat. Amelia just laughed slightly at the fact that Virocana was showing not only a bit of interest, but some emotion previously seen as well.

"Well… I was later forced into the Earth Federation, since there was a little bit of tension between the Federation and Zeon at that point due to the mobile suit development. And the Zabi Family didn't help that factor too much. I know my father joined a starting division named Anaheim Electronics or something to that effect after the Minvosky Physics Society was dissolved and merged completely as a Zeon division. Other than that, I'm not sure what happened to him."

"And… because your parents had Zeon ties, is that why you-"

"Yes. I probably don't fully understand what Satoru has been through, but whenever he calls the entire Zeon a band of murders… Its like my mother and father are also included… And after seeing you, I know that not all Zeon soldiers are evil. However, I don't dislike him. Since after all, because of him, I didn't lose anything worse than just my leg's good condition." After Amelia said this, the conversation was marked closed for the moment, as it approached the five minute mark of the Medea's departure, and Senra and Satoru met them both.

"Hey girls," Senra said, most likely trying to charm them both. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah, yeah. Hey… What's bugging you, Satoru?" Amelia asked, cocking her head to the side slightly. Satoru didn't offer much of an answer, as the dream earlier still had an effect on him.

"Just… a bad dream," he replied, and left the conversation at that as he took his suitcase and boarded the Medea. The other three pilots just remained puzzled to his behavior.

"Don't ask, I just found him bugged out like that. That must have been one hell of a dream to get him spooked out, huh?" Senra asked in a jesting manner. Amelia shrugged it off, since everybody has a nightmare or two. Virocana seemed more concerned about this though.

"It must have…" Virocana said, watching Satoru until he was out of her sight completely.

****

For those brief minutes that dragged on to the pace like that of an eternity, the Medea's departure was finally neigh, and above the _Bulldog_ crew's heads. The landing sight was filled with several workers who were carrying out their jobs to their utmost ability. Some were preparing the ship for it's final safety measures to prevent any sort of puncture of mistake to plague their pace. Some others were filling fuel to the ship's engines, by maintaining a tight grip on to massive tubes, connecting into the ship's interior. 

"Medea 5B542, you are cleared for departure," one booming voice resonated through the cockpit of the Medea, clearly audible to the pilots, and then followed through with their further instructions. It was out of the ordinary that a ship labeled in fifth, would in fact be one of the first to get a pre-emptive launch above the majority. But taking into considering that the cargo was a captain, his survival was in more high regard than shipping workers or technicians. It was just fortunate that the pilots would be assigned to the same plane as well. 

"Alright, we are preparing for launch." one of the pilots said, assumingly the lead. Both pilots of the Medea flicked several switches into place, with their function not widely known. Their further conversation with the control tower included basic instructions to the pilots, appearing to be nothing short of the typical jargon to anyone else. The media's engines flared into active life, as the cruiser began to pick up speed upon the run way. The passengers could feel the force being pressed against their form, gradually increasing as the Medea reached it's mark. Then, the Medea freed itself of the tight grasp of the soil, and was freed airborne. The pressure upon the passengers lightened, as the Medea began to take higher altitudes.

"You know, you should really eat something. I know you haven't eaten since yesterday morning," Senra said, sitting in a window seat within the Medea. Judging from the situation, his speech was directed towards Satoru, who was sitting opposite of him. The indication might have been blurred, considering that Senra made no effort to look to the person he was addressing. His sight was completely stolen by the scenery of the Earth around him. Satoru made nothing more than a weak reply, that of one to quickly end the conversation.

"Really, I'm fine." Satoru replied, with his head resting solely of his better arm. His speech was somewhat slurred, hinting the indication of how slumber was nearly upon him. However, he raised his head higher, and widened his eyes, attempting to not allow his stress to overcome him. 

"You're not going to sleep?" Senra asked. For a few moments, Senra received no reply from the other boy. Just silence, filling the empty room. Senra committed the strength to make a deep sigh. "I'll just take that as a no." Senra couldn't help but make a glance towards Satoru, who appeared to have a hint of paleness in his skin, judging from his empty facial expression. He could have asked, like a good friend would, but Senra didn't struggle. He knew that Satoru would push him out, as usual. Thinking of that matter, however, did bring Senra to his next statement…

"Satoru… You know, you've changed… Ever since the moment you first got into that mobile suit…" Senra said, keeping his tone within the boundaries of being barely audible. Satoru leapt to his defense.

"I wouldn't think so. But even if I did, what of it?" Satoru's eyes were then fixed upon Senra, who still did not offer the decency to look back at him. All Senra could keep his eyes on was the mass of land below him.

"Well… I remember you as a shy kid, who kept to himself most of the time. Yet, back then, you had more of a… neutral standpoint on everything. If somebody would do something cruel, you would see it from their point of view as well. Sure, you never displayed this too often to people, but I think for all the months I've been with you, I caught on," after finishing that sentence, it was then when Senra finally turned to face Satoru. Satoru's stern expression, was left unchanged. "But ever since you got into that mobile suit… You've changed. And it doesn't seem as petty as a phase either. It's like, something has awakened in you. It's either that, or piloting the mobile suit has gone to your head."

"Of all the stupid… Look, I haven't changed any bit. I'm still the same as I've always been," Satoru said, with his eyes turning away from Senra in a means showing... Disgust.

"No, you're not. I haven't seen you fight in a mobile suit yet, so maybe I'm not one to judge on that. But then again, you _did_ thrash your suit not once, but TWICE. So maybe that does confirm that-"

"I don't have to put up with this ****. Not now," Satoru's voice was tainted absolutely with rage against his "friend". But Senra, given his nature, did not take it to heart. He knew very well that there was some truth in his statement, and Satoru refused to except it. Satoru stood up in a haste, and promptly made his way to the doorway. Senra just turned back to the window, still keeping his gaze upon Satoru through the window's dim reflection.

"Why don't you just sleep? Did that dream freak you out so much that you're afraid of sleeping altogether?"

"Tch." Satoru allowed the electronic door to slide open upon his approach, and began to step out. But one last question averted his proceedings.

"Before you go… Tell me. In the _Bulldog's_ hanger, right before that piece of shrapnel would have impaled Amelia on the spot before you did something… How exactly did you know it was going to hit her? I mean, she would have lost something more than just her leg, and there's no way you could have known in time." In response, Satoru merely turned his head to catch some sort of sight of Senra's form, before he left the room altogether.

"I just knew, okay?" And with that, Senra was left in the room on his own. With the boy gone, Senra couldn't help but murmur another statement about the situation merely to himself. Possibly trying to reassure himself of something.

"… 'Just knew', huh? Somehow, I doubt that…"

****

Unlike previous relocations, the ride ended rather suddenly. Most of the crew of the _Bulldog_ indulged themselves into slumber to pass the time. The trip to the northeastern sector of Africa did not take a terribly long time, mostly at the advancement of flight technology throughout the ages compared to other times. The Medea landed in what seemed like an exact mirror image of the settlement in Europe. Organization was entirely absent in the gathering, but the size was nearly doubled of that of the Odessa aftermath. A massive offensive was to be launched throughout Africa to hopefully break the iron, Zeonic grip which had so stubbornly held onto the continent since the beginning stages of the war. What was rather unique about the placement of the Federation forces was that they were occupying a city directly, with a few Federation model mobile suits and Gundam look-alikes standing dormant in the vacant scenes. This was once the lively location of Port Sudan.

"Captain Tolen, reporting sir," the Captain said, with sleepiness impairing his speech. Most of the key crew of Tolen's Big Tray was present at the loading area of the Medea, but didn't share much to the conversation. The person who Tolen was addressing was also a Federation man. The man's skin was somewhat more dark-toned than what one would usually see within the ranks. His face was aged to a standpoint, and a Federation cap covered what would most likely be a head that knew no knowledge of hair. The dry, and nearly emotionless voice that the man displayed would give further hint to his aging form.

"Where is she… The newtype…" This man was definitely Jamitov Hyman, a very high ranking Federation General, and that could have been told by the numerous medals he had. At the moment, the only thing that mattered to him was Virocana.

"Oh, she's here. Virocana Vivian." When Tolen said that, it almost came upon instinct for Virocana to step forward to present herself. Jamitov raised a brow, not quite convinced on the woman's identity.

"This woman? Hm… I wouldn't expect less from the Zeon," Jamitov said in a monotone fashion.

"She may not know of the battlefield very extensively, but her insight and foresight abilities are unparalleled," Tolen said.

"She seems suitable. Come with me." Jamitov rushed the conversation considerably, as he ended up turning his back as soon as he finished. He beckoned for Virocana's pursuit, but she still requested some light on the situation.

"Excuse me… But I'm suitable for what?" Virocana asked, with her voice barely above a whisper, as usual. Jamitov did not deviate from his path at all, seemingly unraveled by Virocana's question until he responded in a single line.

"To test our new machine. It won't take very long." When Jamitov was out of sight, Virocana looked towards Tolen for assistance. In a form of nonverbal communication, Tolen just nodded to Virocana. Then, she also went off in the same direction Jamitov did in a short dash, right into the outside surroundings of the establishment.

"… That bastard.. Hasn't changed a bit," Amelia said, which was the first word murmured ever since her conversation with Virocana. 

"It does seem like you know him," Tolen mentioned, "however, why didn't he notice you right then?"

"The only thing that mattered to him was using Virocana for whatever experiment…"

"I wish I could tell you more.. But he never even mentioned anything about a new machine. Anyway," Tolen said, turning around to the other pilots. "I have to take care of some placement things. I can't say how long it'll take, so do whatever until I get back. Explore the city, or just get some rest, because after this Operation starts… You probably won't be getting much sleep." And with that, Tolen also left the Medea. The crew just seemed to scatter in their own separate directions. Satoru, who had remained silent for the time being, went into the direction of the city.

"Hey… Where are you going off to?" Senra asked.

"I'm just going to walk around in the city for awhile," Satoru said dryly, turning away from Senra.

"Well… Hey, we can all go if that's okay with you… Hey, Amelia!" Senra called to his commander, without even getting a proper verification from Satoru. However, Senra already knew the answer of his request, and gave him no time to object. Amelia went over to Satoru and Senra, seemingly perplexed by seeing Jamitov again. "We're going to take a walk in the city. Do you want to come?"

"I'll go… I want to see how Jamitov handles civilian takeovers…" There were still questions that the pilots were concerned about currently, however, they all shared the mutual thought that at the moment, they could only go undisturbed.

****

"The Federation is definitely planning something here… something big…" Over a ridge within the rough terrain surrounding Port Sudan, Marai and Markus were dressed in thick, camouflage gear matching the coloration of the surrounds, while spying in on the Federation settlement with binoculars. Marai focused her sight on several boxes being shipped on massive transportation vehicles. "I see the supplies that may carry the stuff we need... But this is just too heavily guarded."

"How many mobile suits do you count?" Markus asked. It took a long pause for an answer to be reached, since Marai was trying to get the number as exact as possible.

"I count about 25 mobile suits. That greatly outnumbers the forces have, no matter how many squads we try to pull together. But… I found an even greater prize for going through with this. Look at that ship near the port." With Marai's command, Markus directed his sight to the port. He saw a massive battleship that was very much irregular than any other Federation battleship in the area. Men were trying to cover the ship up with a massive sheet, most likely as a hint to the dark, stormy clouds in the distance, eradicating any indication of the existence of the sun.

"What the hell… The _Trojan Horse_?" 

"That can't be the Trojan Horse.. But another ship of the line, but if we take that out, HQ will give us much more support."

"Or we could capture it. But why are they covering it up? Are they trying to hide it?"

"No, a storm is probably coming. Look at those clouds," Marai pointed up to the dark formation spawning in the distance. "That's one of the causes of Zeon's blunder in Operation British, disrupting the balance of the weather. That could either be a hurricance or something else. Either way, our timing is rather good."

"What's the plan?"

"It's rather suicidal… But we don't have any other choice. We'll wait until the storm comes, and that's when we'll make the attack. If they are preparing to move from Port Sudan, it'll be better for us if we catch them off guard."

"Daring plan.. But we don't have the forces to take on 25 mobile suits…"

"We do have hope… We have the Archimedes…" The first sign of thunder struck in the horizon.

****

[To Be Continued…]

[Author's Notes] - [1] - Old Hickory relates to General Jackson due to how it was a nickname of a US figure also named Andrew Jackson. You know, fought in the War of 1812, was a president, Jacksonian Democracy, all Social Studies stuff.

[2] - The Minvosky Physics Society was basically the people who first found the electromagnetic effect in the Minvosky Fusion Reactor, and paved the way for further Minvosky development and experiments, mainly along Zeon in the UC 0060's and UC 0070's.


End file.
